Rafael Nadal of Spain poses with the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship trophy on the third day of 2010's ATP World Tour Finals in London, Britain, Nov. 23, 2010. [Xinhua/Chen Hongbo]

Spanish tennis ace Rafael Nadal said this Thursday that 2010 had probably been the best year of his career to date.

The player, ranked number one in the World, has just been named as the best sportsman of the year by French publication L' Equipe. It is a fair reward for a year which saw Nadal triumph in French Open before going on to win his second Wimbledon title and lift the U.S. Open for the first time in his career.

Nadal also won the Madrid Masters Series to become the player who has won the most Masters events in history.

"2010 has been the most emotional year in my career and the best in terms of results. I am very happy with the way things have gone and I can' t really ask for more," said Nadal in an interview with sports paper Diario AS this Thursday.

"The season is always very long and there is a lot of time to do things either well or badly, but I will start next year without too much pressure because things went so well in 2010. It will be difficult to repeat my results," he said.

Nadal has suffered knee problems in the last two seasons, but he believes that overall he has been lucky in terms of injuries.

"We can't fool ourselves, injury is a part of sport and although I have had moments when my condition has been a bit complicated, it has been much different to that of other players. I have been in the top two in the world for the past six years and that would not have been possible if I had not been in condition and had suffered long term injuries. I feel lucky," said a modest Nadal.

His wins in France, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open gave Nadal three out of four 'Grand Slam' titles, but he doesn't expect to claim all four in a single season.

"That is almost impossible, it is almost a utopia. It is very hard to win three in a year," he said, although if he wins January's Australian Open it would mean him winning four consecutive events.

"I have the chance to do that, but it is another Grand Slam. I think it is the only chance I will have to win the four titles consecutively and if I am going to do it, then this will have to be the time," concluded Nadal.