Rafael Nadal called it an “important achievement” in drawing level with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic after sealing his fifth year-end No 1.
The Spaniard went into the ATP Finals carrying an abdominal injury with concerns over whether he could hold on to his world No 1 ranking.
Djokovic was the only man who could take that away from him, and the Serbian had to at least reach the final in order to give himself a chance.
But the 16-time Grand Slam champion faltered in the group stages, getting knocked out by a rampant Roger Federer in the final round-robin match.
That in turn meant Nadal would finish the year as world No 1, making him the oldest player to finish year-end No 1 in the history of the ATP Rankings.
Now Djokovic, Nadal and Federer all sit on five year-end No 1 trophies, just one behind Pete Sampras’ all-time record.
It’s yet another trophy for the 33-year-old to store away in alongside his 19 Grand Slams and other tour titles.
And Nadal has revealed that the trophy will take pride of place at the Rafa Nadal Academy.
“I have a beautiful museum at the academy,” he told the ATP Tour.
“We have all the trophies there.
“It’s going to be great to put one of the most important trophies there.
“It’s a great achievement.
“At the same time, I equaled Novak and Roger on this five years at the end of the season.
“That’s an important achievement for me too.”
Nadal has already touched down in Madrid for the start of the Davis Cup Finals, with Spain getting their tournament underway on Tuesday against Russia.