News His nickname is ‘the Giraffe’ and this year, with seemingly perfect timing, Marcelo Melo has reached new heights The 6ft 8in (2 03m) Brazilian ensured that he will finish 2015 as the world’s top-ranked doubles player, dislodging the seemingly invincible Bryan brothers of the USA, whom Melo and his Croatian partner Ivan Dodig beat in this year’s French Open final Go tennis crazy with our interactive infographicMike or Bob Bryan had topped the rankings for more than three years, but 32-year-old Melo finally reached the top in October, by winning the Vienna ATP 500 tournament And he guaranteed that he will be the year-end no 1 by winning the Masters 1000 in Paris at the start of this month Not bad for a player who was told earlier in his career that he “didn’t have a future in tennis” as he wrote on Facebook page after reaching the summit (see below) “Along my journey there have been people who said that I would not be good enough I never believed them"Marcelo Melo, on his Facebook profile A popular figure on the circuit, Melo has been widely praised for his achievement, even by the man whose crown he took: “He’s not like a flashy player… he’s a complete player,” said Bob Bryan “He’s the most improved guy out there ”Melo became only the third Brazilian to top the world rankings, after Gustavo Kuerten in 2000 and Maria Esther Bueno at the start of the 1960s Now he is determined to take his good form into the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where he will play with Bruno Soares “It’s the competition that everyone wants to win – Federer, Nadal, all the world’s top players want to play,” Melo told rio2016 com in a telephone interview from London, where he is playing in the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals, from which he and Dodig hope to emerge as the world’s no 1 pair A chat with the champRio2016 com reporter Valéria Zukeran served a few questions to Melo:What does it feel like to have ended the Bryan brothers’ reign? “To become world no 1 in the era of the Bryans, who have dominated the circuit for so long, was very pleasing The world’s top players have congratulated me ”Do the leading tennis players talk about the Rio 2016 Olympic Games? “Novak Djokovic (world no 1 in singles) relates to Brazil a lot, he liked it when he visited and wants to go back Those who haven’t been yet ask where the competition will be and how the city is In general, they have a very positive image of the city Those who haven’t been want to visit, and those who’ve been want to return ”How do the world’ top players view the Olympic tennis tournament? “It’s the competition that everyone wants to win – Federer, Nadal, all the world’s top players want to play Our planning for next year will be based around the Olympic Games and it’s the same for other players For us, to win in Brazil would be a dream come true ”How does your partnership with Bruno Soares work? “Bruno and I have played together for a long time When we play together in the Davis Cup, it always draws big crowds Our games are always the most full In Rio, we’ll try to use our experience in the best way possible because it’s a great opportunity to win Olympic gold at home ”Three magic Melo moments on social media1 Topping the ATP world rankings(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d getElementById(id)) return; js = d createElement(s); js id = id; js src = "//connect facebook net/pt_BR/sdk js#xfbml=1&version=v2 3"; fjs parentNode insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));Número 1 do mundo! Eu que sempre acreditei no sonho de ser tenista profissional, posso dizer que a ficha ainda não caiu Posted by Marcelo Melo on Segunda, 2 de novembro de 2015 2 Talking about Rio 2016 with his pal Djokovic(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d getElementById(id)) return; js = d createElement(s); js id = id; js src = "//connect facebook net/pt_BR/sdk js#xfbml=1&version=v2 3"; fjs parentNode insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));Conversando com o @djokernole hj sobre as Olimpíadas no Rio, nos dois estamos ansiosos para a chegada Talking about the Posted by Marcelo Melo on Quarta, 19 de agosto de 2015 3 Winning the French Open, as seen by Gustavo Kuerten(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d getElementById(id)) return; js = d createElement(s); js id = id; js src = "//connect facebook net/pt_BR/sdk js#xfbml=1&version=v2 3"; fjs parentNode insertBefore(js, fjs);}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));Melhores momentos de RG, MP pelos olhos do @gugakuerten , valeu pela força galera #somostodosgirafa #melododig @centauroesporte #issoeentregaPosted by Marcelo Melo on Sábado, 13 de junho de 2015 More tennis news Novak Djokovic says winning gold in Rio is a priorityRoger Federer says playing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be ‘wonderful’Rafael Nadal excited about Rio 2016 Olympic Games – but first it’s time for carnivalRio Olympic Tennis Centre will allow sport to flourish in Brazil, says Gustavo KuertenDavid Ferrer looks towards 2016 Olympic Games after winning Rio Open