"Winning 1,000 matches means that I'm old" - Nadal joins elite club following victory over Lopez in Paris

Top seed Rafael Nadal made history on Wednesday at the Paris Masters, as he became just the fourth player to record 1,000 victories in the Open Era.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion overcame a stern test from compatriot Feliciano Lopez, rallying from a set down to earn a 4-6 7-6(5) 6-4 victory over his good friend. By virtue of this victory, Nadal had snapped a two-match losing streak against his countryman. However, this paled in comparison to the other accolade achieved that day; clinching his 1,000th win on the ATP Tour.

“Winning 1,000 matches means that I am old," said Nadal. "That means that I played well for such a very long time, because to achieve that number is because I have been playing well for a lot of years and that is something that makes me feel happy.”

“I just can say thank you very much to all the people that helped me and all the people that in any moment of my life helped me to be where I am.”

Lopez was dominant in the first serve as he easily held serve while Nadal struggled with some early inconsistencies that cost him the set. However, the reigning Roland Garros champion raised his game and soon took control of the match.

“I started the match in the worst way possible, especially against a big server like Feli,” admitted Nadal. “After that, I played under a lot of pressure the rest of the match, but I found a way. That's the main thing... This victory is one that I am very proud of. The personal satisfaction sometimes is bigger when you win these matches than if you go on court and you win 6-3, 6-3.”

The 34-year old joins Jimmy Connors (1,274), Roger Federer (1,242) and Ivan Lendl (1,068) on this exclusive list. Having never captured the Paris title, the World No.2 has reached the quarterfinals on each of his seven previous appearances. He will face Jordan Thompson in the next round, as the Australian pulled off a 2-6 6-4 6-2 comeback win over Borna Coric.