Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who won three successive Grand Slam titles this year, said that 2010 has been “fantastic”.

“I think it has been a fantastic year in my life, to have ended at the level that I did is a great satisfaction,” he said during an interview with Spanish news radio Cadena Ser.

The 24-year-old finished the year firmly atop the world rankings despite losing to Roger Federer in the ATP Tour Championship final in London on Sunday.

“I can only congratulate Roger because he was better than everyone, better than me and for that reason he has the trophy at home,” he said.

Nadal has 12,450 points, 3,305 ahead of Federer, whom he replaced at the top after winning the French Open and Wimbledon during the summer.

He went on to win the US Open, while Federer took the year’s first Grand Slam title in Australia making him only the seventh man in history to complete a coveted career Grand Slam, winning the world’s four main tennis tournaments – the US, French and Australian Opens and Wimbledon.

Nadal is now taking a week off from tennis before beginning training for 2011, and in January he will bid to achieve something his great rival Federer has not managed – hold all four grand slam titles at the same time.