Rafael Nadal became the fourth man to win 1,000 ATP Tour matches

Instead, beating Feliciano Lopez to reach the special club, Nadal was persuaded to remain silent at the 20,000-seater stadium in Paris because spectators were absent from the coronavirus epidemic.

Spaniard, 34, is the only man to join Jimmy Connors (1,274), Roger Federer (1,242) and Evan Lendl (1,068). 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 in their opening game at the Paris Masters.

“[Winning 1,000 matches] That is, I am. It means I’ve played well for so long, to get that number because I’ve been playing well for so many years and [that] That’s the thing that makes me happy, “said Nadal Said.

“I can only thank all the people who helped me and all the people who helped me in any moment of my life where I am.”

Nadal’s first ATP victory came when he was 15 years old. He defeated Raman Delgado, a Paraguayan, in the first round of the 2002 Mallorca Open, in which he won 15 ATP ranking points and a check for 5,850.

Eighteen years old, and with a prize money of about 12 2,122 million, Nadal is one of the most successful tennis players in history.

At last month’s French Open, he equaled Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slam victories.

Nadal’s first round match was his first ever record when he claimed a record 13th title at Roland Garros.

“I started the match in the worst possible way, especially against a big server like Philly,” Nadal said. “After that, I played the rest of the match under a lot of pressure, but I got a found.

“That’s the main thing … this win is something I’m very proud of. Personal satisfaction is sometimes greater when you win this match if you go to court and you win 6-3 6-3 Be. “

In the next round, Nadal will face Jordan Thomson, when the Australian was knocked out of the set and there was a break to beat Borna Koric 2-6 6-4 6-2.

While he has had so much success on clay courts in Paris, Nadal is aiming to win his first Paris Masters title.