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A day before he kicks off his Nitto ATP Finals campaign, Rafael Nadal took to the court in a practice session Sunday with fellow Spaniard and tournament alternate Pablo Carreno Busta. Nadal's uncle and coach, Toni, oversaw the last-minute preparations.

"Training has gone very well," Toni said. "We've practised at a very high level for this event. If Rafa's knee holds up, we expect good results."

A stress injury to the patella tendon in his right knee forced Nadal to withdraw ahead of his quarter-final match at the Rolex Paris Masters. The 16-time Grand Slam champion has spent the past several days working to overcome the injury in time for the Nitto ATP Finals. And while Rafa isn't dealing with knee pain at the moment, Toni is well aware that even at full strength, the road to victory for his charge will still be a difficult one.

"I've heard some people saying that the draw is in our favor, but I don't see it that way at all," Toni said of Rafa's group that includes David Goffin, Dominic Thiem and Grigor Dimitrov. "Specifically, I would have preferred if Dimitrov wasn't in our group altogether, but we'll have to deal with the draw we've been dealt. In all honesty, every match will have its own complications."

Rafael Nadal admits he never thought it would be possible for him to end 2017 as the world number one.

The Spaniard enjoyed a fantastic comeback from injury this season, winning the French and US Open titles as he saw off arch rival Roger Federer to finish the year in top spot, something he guaranteed prior to the ongoing ATP Finals.

After being presented with the year-end number one trophy on court at The O2 in London on Sunday, Nadal said: "For me it's been a fantastic season, a very emotional one after all the things I have been going through the last couple of years in terms of injuries.