New dad Rafael Nadal is still chasing firsts at Paris Masters and the ATP Finals—but not No. 1 ranking

Rafael Nadal is back on tour for the first time since becoming a father, but admits it's now even tougher to be away from home.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion from Spain, 36, is playing this week's Paris Masters, leaving behind his three-week-old son.

"Yeah, different approach to usual. Always have been tough to leave home, honestly," said Nadal, speaking to press at Paris.

The No. 2 could still finish the season holding the No. 1 ranking, but insists that's not why he's competing again this season.

“I don't fight to be No. 1," said Nadal. "I just fight to keep being competitive in every event that I played. “Something that I said since long time ago.

"I will not fight anymore to be No. 1. I achieved that goal a couple of times of my career that I have been very, very happy and proud about achieving that. But I am in a moment of my tennis career that I don't fight to be No. 1.”

Fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz is currently No. 1 at just 19 years old, having just won the US Open, and though Nadal was also winning big titles as a teenager, he took longer to reach the top spot. Nadal won 11 titles in 2005, nine of them on clay including the French Open, but didn't reach No. 1 until 2008, when he also won Wimbledon.

“It's obvious that when I was No. 1 for the first time in my career in 2008, I really wanted to be there, because I felt that 2005, '06, '07, including '08, I was doing amazing results, winning a lot of tournaments, having a lot of points on the ranking system. I had somebody in front of me like Roger [Federer], no?," said Nadal.

"So in some way I think I had been very consistent. I think I deserve to be there, no, because it's nice to arrive to No. 1, takes some time, and you need to fight for it, and that helps to be even more consistent, no? Today is a different story for me. I don't know how many events I played, like ten, and I finished eight. Difficult to be No. 1 like this. But happy to be in that position that says when I was playing I was playing well.”

I will not fight anymore to be No. 1. I achieved that goal a couple of times of my career that I have been very, very happy and proud about achieving that. But I am in a moment of my tennis career that I don't fight to be No. 1.

But even though he is now playing a limited number of tournaments, Nadal has still had a huge season, winning the Australian Open and French Open, alongside injury problems at Indian Wells, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Yet he could still achieve more firsts over the next few weeks at the Paris Masters and at the ATP Finals in Turin—two events he has yet to win.

“Let's see on the competitive level how I manage. It's always an issue, I mean, in older bodies like my one, it's easier to know how the things are going when you are playing tournaments in a row,” Nadal said. “When you are coming back from a period of time outside of the competition, it's difficult to know... how you're going to be playing, how your body gonna respond, because it's obvious that the tour level is different than the amount of practice that I can have at home.

"It's true that have been an amazing year in terms of results, but at the same time is true that have been a tough year in terms of injuries. Just excited to be here. I am here to try my best.”

Nadal will play Tommy Paul in his opening match in Paris-Bercy, where he is the second seed.