Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal: Ranking the Trio After Wimbledon

By winning Wimbledon last Saturday, Novak Djokovic altered the paradigm of modern-day tennis by becoming the first man not named Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal to hold the No. 1 ranking since Andy Roddick lost it on February 1, 2004.

The Djoker has put together a season for the ages—a 48-1 record so far, the only blemish a semifinal loss to Roger Federer at Roland Garros. 

Rafael Nadal has struggled to solve Djokovic, coming up empty handed five straight times. He is 2-8 against the World No. 1 since the 2009 hard court season began.

Federer rounds out the top three as sort of an afterthought, the guy who keeps hanging around but hasn't won a major since January of 2010.

Here is a ranking of how the top three in the world stack up against each other.

3. Rafael Nadal

We have seen that face from Rafael Nadal several times over the past six months—five, to be exact.

Five is the amount of times in a row Rafa Nadal has lost to Novak Djokovic, all in finals. Saturday's Wimbledon defeat was his first loss to the Serb in a major.

Nadal may still be No. 2 in the World, but he is far from beating Djokovic, who has systematically dismantled the Spaniard over the course of his 48-1 season.

Rafa has looked completely lost against Djokovic. The Djoker has taken down Nadal on every kind of surface in all conditions, and no adjustments Nadal makes seem to have any effect on the outcome.

Nadal might not fare much better against Roger Federer. Now that neither is the one seed, the two could conceivably meet in major semifinals, a completely different circumstance than the finals. 

Nadal holds a 16-7 head-to-head edge on the Swiss Champ, but they have met only six times in non-final matches. Nadal holds a 4-2 advantage, but three of those victories have come on Clay.

The road to Grand Slam trophies has gotten much more difficult for Rafa Nadal. We shall see how he copes.

2. Roger Federer

Roger Federer hasn’t won a major since January of 2010. But he is the only player who has beaten Novak Djokovic in 2011.

We should also remember that Djokovic’s last loss before his 43-game win streak was to Federer last November, showing that Federer could prove to be Djokovic's toughest opponent in the coming months.

That Federer has failed to reach the semifinals in two consecutive years should not be cause for alarm—all that is happening is Federer has become touchable.

For years nobody—and I mean nobody—could take down the giant, except when everything went right for his opponent.

Now Federer has come back to Earth. He isn't a lock to make the semis of every single major, but is still clearly one of the three best tennis players in the world.

He is not the best player though. For the past three years, since his 2008 Wimbledon final loss, Federer has been playing second fiddle to Rafa Nadal. His four major victories since have come by way of Nadal injuries or early exits at the hands of another opponent.

Federer stands as good of a chance today of beating Nadal as he did three years ago. He is not significantly worse than he was last year, or even the year before, and therefore should not be counted out simply because he hasn't won a major recently. 

Nadal definitely has the head-to-head edge against Federer. His grinding style has time and time again proven tough for Federer to handle. 

However, Federer is the second best of the trio because he stands a much better chance of topping World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, which in reality is the only thing that matters. 

1. Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic is without a doubt the best player in the world today.

The Djoker is clicking on all cylinders. He is serving out of his mind, can out-grind any player on tour with his superior fitness and authoritative groundstrokes, and is the best service-returner in the game.

The only lapse in an otherwise perfect seven months was a semifinal loss to Roger Federer in the French Open in which a win would have given him the No. 1 ranking.

Djokovic played tentatively that day, and blew his chance to reach the top spot for the first time in his career.

His resurgence to capture the No.1 ranking and then win Wimbledon just a month later is a testament to the newfound mental toughness that has been lacking for most of his career.

At 24 years of age, and in supreme physical and mental shape, Djokovic looks to be a formidable opponent to anyone who crosses his path.

Federer and Nadal ought to get comfortable looking up—the Djoker will be tough to oust.