Novak Djokovic: 5 Reasons He Just Might Win More Majors Than Nadal and Federer

Before I get to the meat and potatoes of my argument, let me clear up what I can already anticipate being a point of contention.

I am in no way saying that Djokovic is more talented or is a more complete player than Nadal or Federer. I don't think I could make a legitimate case that he is either of those things.

What I'm saying is that he has a real shot to be more successful than either of them when you define success as the sheer number of Grand Slam events won. Ask any top-flight tennis player, and they will agree with this definition of success.

Djokovic is playing incredible tennis right now. If he continues to play at a level similar to where he has been, we may be looking at a player that can make a case for being the greatest of all time.

Roger Federer Is Slowing Down

While rumors of Federer's demise in the past have been overblown, I think we are now seeing the beginning of the end for arguably the greatest player of all time.

He's still a dangerous player, to be sure. No one wants to end up on the other side of the court from Fed at any point in the tournament, but he is far from the player he once was. On his best day, he can still win Grand Slams, but those best days are getting further and further apart.

Much of how a player is perceived in retrospect has to do with his level of opponents. If Federer didn't have Nadal as his foil, he might have won several more major events. If not for Federer, Andy Roddick might have more than one major and Andy Murray might have won one by now.

The fact that Federer is on his way out is great for Djokovic as he will soon have one fewer great player to worry about being on the opposite side of the bracket from.

He Has Stayed Relatively Healthy

The harsh reality of tennis is that it is a very physical game. The players are so fast and strong that they are pushing their bodies more than players from past eras. For proof of this, look no further than the laundry list of injury withdrawals you see at any given tournament.

For the most part, though, Djokovic has been able to stay away from those types of injuries. Like any other player, he has had his share of bumps and sprains, but he has kept from having injuries like the ones suffered by guys like Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro in recent years that have forced them to miss large chunks of the tennis calendar.

Whether his good health is a testament to his work ethic or simply the foresight to manage his commitments during the season, it will serve him well in his quest to be the best player in the game.

He Is Playing with Complete Confidence

Other than maybe golf, tennis is more a game of confidence than any other sport. A player can have all the talent in the world, but if he doesn't have confidence in his strokes, he won't be successful.

Djokovic has struggled with this himself. He has been on the cusp of being a superstar for years, but at times, his confidence wavered. Every big victory was closely followed by a baffling defeat.

Many thought that his big breakthrough was going to be his Australian Open victory in 2008, but then it took three years for him to come through again at a Grand Slam event.

This is not to say that he now has more confidence than any other player. That's impossible to know, and I'm sure players like Nadal and Federer are not lacking for belief in themselves, but now Djokovic is armed with the belief that he can beat those players (or any others) on the biggest stages.

He Doesn't Appear to Have and Up and Coming Foil

Djokovic's biggest challenger will obviously be Rafael Nadal for the time being. Even though it seems like he has been on tour for 20 years, Rafa is still only 25. That's only one year older than Djokovic, but Nadal has a lot of miles on his legs and you wonder when he will begin to break down.

Outside of Nadal, though, Djokovic doesn't appear to have any huge up and coming rival. Sampras and Agassi had to fend off Federer. Federer has had to deal with Nadal. As of right now, there is no hotshot teenager or 20-something that Djokovic will look at as a threat at Grand Slams.

There are guys like Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov and Alexandr Dolgopolov that show promise, but they will have to make great strides to become serious challengers.

He Plays Well on All Surfaces

Maybe the biggest reason Djokovic is poised for more great things is his well-rounded game. He can win any tournament he enters on every surface. He may prefer some surfaces to others, but he isn't a liability on any one surface.

When you look at any great player, you tend to see the one surface that they really struggled to win on. For Federer, he could never get over the hump on clay at Roland Garros. That probably had as much to do with Nadal being so dominant there, but either way, it was a roadblock for his career.

Speaking of Nadal, there was a period of time in his career where he has was considered little more than a clay court specialist. He has overcome that now, obviously, but for a while, he had trouble winning big on any surface other than clay.

Djokovic loves to play on hard courts, as his two Australian Open wins attest to, but his Wimbledon win shows that he can win on grass as well. The clay court success at the French Open has yet to come, but he has three clay court tournament victories in 2011. Hopefully for him, that's a harbinger of things to come.