Paris Masters: Andy Murray becomes World No.1 after reaching final

Novak Djokovic's 122-week reign at the top of the men's singles rankings came to an end after his rival Andy Murray was through to the final of the Paris Masters on Saturday. Murray's ranking will be officially confirmed as world number one when the revised rankings are released on Monday.

Without playing a single point in Saturday's match, Murray ended a seven-year wait to secure the top ranking. The Brit was handed a throughfare to the Paris Masters final when his opponent Milos Raonic was forced to withdraw from the tournament. Murray learned that his Canadian opponent had a leg injury just one hour before they were scheduled to meet in the semifinals on Saturday.

Speaking about his latest achievement, “I never thought I'd be number one in the world,"  a delighted Murray told BBC Sport.

"It's been many years of work to get here. It's been such a difficult thing to do because of how good the guys around me have been. The year that Novak has had, barring the last six weeks or so, has been incredible. The year I've had to have to barely get there has been unbelievably difficult. I've had to work extremely hard," he said.

Murray has always remained in the shadows as the least member of the Big Four as Djokovic took over the mantle once Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal stumbled to age and injuries. However, the speed at which the Scot made the ascent to the top over the last few months is also breathtaking given that Djokovic had nearly double the number of ranking points in June. On his way to the top, Murray has won the Wimbledon for the second time in June, followed by his successful defence of the Olympics gold medal in August by defeating Juan Martin Del Potro in the final.

Meanwhile, Marin Cilic, who, on Friday, defeated Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, lost the last four tie to John Isner 6-4 6-3. The final between Isner and Murray is scheduled to take place on Sunday.