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• Sinner behind only Nadal and Djokovic after speeding to year-end number one

  Jannik Sinner confirmed his place at the top of the ATP year-end world rankings, with only two players in history having done so quicker.

  Sinner had actually sealed his spot at the summit with his semi-final victory over Tomas Machac before defeating Novak Djokovic 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 to win the Shanghai Masters title on Sunday.

  On the back of his title run, Sinner – who picked up 910 points to move to a grand total of 11,920 – has opened up an unassailable 4,800-point lead over Carlos Alcaraz in the standings.

  And only Djokovic and the soon-to-be-retired Nadal have managed to seal the year-end number-one spot earlier in a season than Sinner, since the ATP rankings were modified in 2009.

  Djokovic was crowned as 2015's year-end number one on September 14, while Nadal secured that position for the 2010 rankings on October 9 of that year.

  Sinner has won 65 of his 71 Tour-level matches this year, and claimed seven trophies, including the Australian Open and US Open.

  The 23-year-old is the 19th player to claim the year-end world number-one ranking and just the fourth active player, joining Djokovic, Nadal and Alcaraz.

  He has already held top spot for 17 weeks, and ranks 18th among the 29 players who have reached world number one for weeks spent at the top of the pile.

• Kyrgios wants to 'shut up' doubters with grand slam win

  Nick Kyrgios is planning to make a comeback in December and has ambitions to win a grand slam in order to "shut up" his doubters.

  The Australian has suffered with wrist, knee and foot injuries over the last two years, playing just one ATP Tour singles match in that period.

  He lost in straight sets on that occasion to Wu Yibing in Stuttgart in June 2023 and has not played since.

  Though he has hinted at retirement in the past, he is now planning for his return at the World Tennis League event in Abu Dhabi later this year before the Australian Open in January.

  He has previously reached one grand slam final in singles, losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2022, and Kyrgios has a clear plan of what he wants to come out of his return to the sport.

  "I am coming back because something is keeping me around the game," he told News Corp's Code Sports podcast.

  "I have beaten pretty much every person that has been put in front of me, made a final of a grand slam, won a doubles title in a grand slam, won multiple titles and made money.

  "But I think the one thing that is now on my target is a grand slam. I think that will be the only thing that will shut people up at the end of the day.

  "That'll be my deep motivation."

  Kyrgios earned a reputation for his outbursts and meltdowns early on in his career, with some writing him off due to his temperament.

  However, the 29-year-old has brushed off the idea that he was a "bad boy".

  "I guess I was branded that just because I was a bit outside the circle of what a normal tennis player is," he said.

  "I don't think I carry that perception with the Aussie public anymore. But at the start of my career, people thought I was like a murderer."

• Retiring Nadal deserves everything in the world for sacrifices, says Lorenzo

  Rafael Nadal deserves "everything in this world" in his retirement after the sacrifices he made during his tennis career, says former Moto GP world champion Jorge Lorenzo. 

  Nadal officially confirmed his departure from the sport earlier this week, with his glittering 23-year spell on the court set to end after November's Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.

  The Spaniard has lifted 22 major titles, a total only bettered by Margaret Court, Novak Djokovic (both 24) and Serena Williams (23) in tennis history. 

  An astonishing 14 of those came at the French Open, which is the most of any player at a single grand slam in history, leading him to be dubbed 'The King of Clay' at Roland-Garros. 

  Nadal's 112 French Open wins are the most of any man at a single major in the Open Era, while his 14-0 record in Roland-Garros finals is the best recorded by anyone at an event in that span.

  Nadal is the latest of the 'Big Four' to announce their departure from the sport after Andy Murray earlier this year, along with Roger Federer in 2022, with Djokovic the only one still playing.

  Lorenzo, a five-time world champion who retired from motorsport five years ago, shared his experiences since leaving the track and what the future has in store for Nadal.

  "Everyone experiences [retirement] in a different way," Lorenzo told Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy.

  "It has always been said that many athletes after retirement go into a kind of mini-depression and are a bit sad. 

  "But in my case, it has been the opposite, I have lived five fantastic years. I have really enjoyed the freedom of being able to choose how and where to use my time.

  "And I hope that Rafa is very happy because he deserves everything in this world for what he has sacrificed and for the great example that he has shown as an athlete to the whole society."

  Nadal's first grand slam title came at the 2005 edition of Roland-Garros, while the 2022 season saw him triumph in the French capital and at the Australian Open. 

  He is the only player to win at least one major in 15 different calendar years, and between 2005 and 2014, he never ended a season without a grand slam title.

  Nadal finished 13 different years in the top two of the ATP World Rankings, more than any other player throughout the Open Era.

  The 38-year-old will bring his storied career to a close on home soil in Malaga, where he will be part of Spain's Davis Cup team which also includes Carlos Alcaraz.