Novak Djokovic’s sensational 2015 has ensured that he is the first player to earn over $20 million this season. Despite the world No.1 setting numerous record this year, including the most Masters titles won within the season (6), is it fair to say his season has been the best performance in recent years?
In his 15 consecutive finals this year, Djokovic has won three Grand Slam titles, six Masters, one ATP 500 and the ATP World Tour Finals title. He has only lost to four players during the best season of his life. These players were Andy Murray, Ivo Karlovic, Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer. Federer was the only player able to beat Djokovic on multiple occasions. The Serbian ends the year with a 82-6 win-loss rate, which equates to a 93% winning rate. The outstanding performance produced by Djokovic is something to celebrate but one thing has been pointed out by his coach Boris Becker.
Just a word to all the @rogerfederer fans in the world …he is the GOAT ! 2006 was even better than 2015 but give @DjokerNole respect!!!
— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) November 23, 2015
Regardless of the logic behind Becker’s tweet, the German is correct to state this. 2006, aka the year of Federer, could be argued as the ultimate display of dominance on the men’s tour in recent time. Similar to Djokovic, Federer also reached the final in all four Grand Slam tournaments in 2006, winning the title in three of them. The Swiss also claimed 9 other titles to bring his 2006 titles count to 12 out of 16 finals. Playing 97 matches during that season, the Swiss player won 92 of them to give him a 94.84 winning rate. Only two players were able to beat Federer which was Rafael Nadal on four occasions and Andy Murray once. There was just one tournament where the 34-year-old failed to reach the final, which was the Cincinnati Masters.
That year wasn’t just a one-off for Federer, in fact the year before his incredible 2006, the Swiss actually achieved a higher winning percentage of 95.29% (81-4). Federer achieved this by reaching 12 finals, winning 11 of them. In 2005 he also produced a 35-match winning streak on the tour, which is the eighth highest of all-time. This is however not Federer’s best record, between 2006-2007 he achieved a streak of 42 matches.
Djokovic and Federer aren’t the only two players who have enjoyed a dominant performance in recent time. Rafael Nadal’s 12 titles in 2005 was another exceptional achievement. At the age of 19, the Spaniard enjoyed a 24-match winning streak during a clay court season dominated by him. 9 out of Nadal’s 12 titles was on clay, including his maiden French Open title on his first attempt. Nadal is only the second player in history to win the French Open title on his first attempt, the first man was Mats Wilander in 1982. During 2005 he won 79 matches, second to Federer, who achieved 81 that year.
The aspect which has stood out the most of Nadal’s dominance on the tour is his relationship with the clay. Between 2005- 2007 he won 81 consecutive matches on clay, a record that no other player has managed to get near to on any surface. The nearest anybody got was Ivan Lendl, who won 66 consecutive matches on carpet between 1982-1983. Federer’s best is 65 on grass (2005-2006) and Djokovic’s in 35 on hard (2010-2011).
Nadal has also enjoyed dominance in other years. In 2010 he won three consecutive Grand Slam titles to seal his year-end ranking of number 1 in the world. Three years later he experienced a strong 2013 when he reached 14 finals, winning ten of them. Nadal played 82 matches that year, winning 75 of them.
Reviewing the performance of all three of these players, Djokovic’s 2015 achievements seem more normal. This doesn’t take anything away from the Serbian who should be praised for the outstanding display that he has produced this year. It does, however remind us that we should not forget the other achievements that has been accomplished in recent time.
Overall, I would still consider Federer’s performance to be the greatest out of the last 30 years on the tour. Between 2005- 2007 he won 31 titles, including 7 Grand Slam titles. During this period the Swiss achieved 241 wins compared to just 18 losses which equated to a 93.1% winning rate.
The question left is can Djokovic maintain his form for the foreseeable future to be able to surpass this outstanding benchmark set by one of the greatest?
