Rafael Nadal returns to No.1 spot in ATP rankings, Novak Djokovic slips

Spanish tennis maestro Rafael Nadal, who made a semi-final finish at the recently-concluded Rolex Paris Masters, returned to the numero-uno spot in the latest men's singles rankings released by the Association for Tennis Professionals (ATP) on Monday. 

The Spanish tennis maestro's upward move in the rankings came after he reached the last-four of the Paris Masters at Bercy Arena by edging past home favorite and 2008 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(4), 6-1 in the quarter-finals of the tournament. 

However, Nadal was forced to withdraw from his semi-final clash of the men's singles event against Denis Shapovalov of Canada with an abdominal muscle strain.

Meanwhile, Serbian tennis maestro Novak Djokovic slipped to the second spot in the latest rankings despite clinching a record-extending fifth Paris Masters title with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Canada's Denis Shapovalov.

The 32-year-old is now trailing Nadal by 640 points, with the ATP Finals for the year-end No.1 spot is all set to take place from November 10 to 17, the ATP official website reported.  

20-year-old Shapovalov, on the other hand, climbed up 13 places to attain career-high 15th position with the victory in Paris.

France's Gael Monfils, meanwhile, has broken into the top 10 for the very first time since February 2017 by making into last-four of the Paris Masters. 

The latest ATP top 10 are as follows: 

1. Rafael Nadal (Spain) 9,585 points

2. Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 8,945 points

3. Roger Federer (Switzerland) 6,190 points

4. Daniil Medvedev (Russia) 5,705 points

5. Dominic Thiem (Austria) 5,025 points

6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece) 4,000 points

7. Alexander Zverev (Germany) 2,945 points

8. Matteo Berrettini (Italy) 2,670 points

9. Roberto Bautista (Spain) 2,540 points

10. Gael Monfils (France) 2,530 points