ATP World Tour: Why Novak Djokovic's 2011 Wasn't the Best Season Ever

Novak Djokovic's 2011 was undoubtedly one of the best seasons on the ATP Tour in memory.   The 24-year-old world No.1 brought an immeasurable amount of pride to his home nation of Serbia.  Never has an athlete from this country of just over seven million people been so revered and idolized.  Djokovic's popularity and influence has led him to become the UNICEF National Ambassador for Serbia.   

Following his defeat to Roger Federer in the 2011 French Open semifinals and in reflection of his incredible 41-match winning streak, Djokovic stated, "It was best five months of my life, my tennis career,” claimed Djokovic. “I cannot complain. It was definitely an incredible period" (via ATPWorldTour.com).

Djokovic amassed a 70-6 record in 2011.  He won three out of the four major titles.  He won Masters Series 1000 events in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome and Montreal. 

He went 10-1 combined against Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, which is absolutely astonishing when you step back and think about it.  Defeating two of arguably the greatest players in the history of the game 10 out of 11 times is just unimaginable. 

Now, with all of this said, there appears to be a hefty amount of evidence to support the assertion that Novak Djokovic had the most superior season in tennis history.  For all Nole supporters, I must disagree with the aforementioned claim.

While Djokovic did accomplish a lot in 2011, I am going to argue why Novak Djokovic's 2011 is inferior to Federer's 2004 and 2006 seasons.

Djokovic significantly slowed down following his U.S. Open triumph.  In his defense, his retirement against Juan Martin Del Potro in the semifinals of the Davis Cup was easily conceivable considering he had just finished an elongated U.S. Open, defeating Federer and Nadal in two physically and mentally draining matches.   

In Basel, Djokovic had a tournament that was extremely uncharacteristic of the rest of his season. Literally points away from being defeated by the Xavier Malisse in the first round, Djokovic's magnificent form appeared to have evaporated.  Ultimately being conquered by Japan's Kei Nishikori after a third-set bagel, it was clear that Djokovic was low on gas.   

After winning matches against Ivan Dodig and fellow Serb Viktor Troicki in Bercy (Paris Masters 1000 event), Djokovic threw in the towel before even hitting a ball against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. 

Now onto the World Tour Finals in London.  After an opening-round scare from Tomas Berdych, Djokovic ended his spectacular season with losses to David Ferrer of Spain and fellow countryman and reserve Janko Tipsarevic.  

Now before we take a look at how Federer fared following the US Open in 2004 and 2006, let's take a closer look at how Federer's 2004 and 2006 entire seasons compare to Novak's 2011. 

Roger Federer 2004

A. Federer won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open

B. Federer compiled a 74-6 record

C. Federer won the World Tour Finals

Major not won: French Open (Result: Lost in third round to Gustavo Kuerten) 

Roger Federer 2006

A. Federer won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open

B. Federer compiled a 92-5 record (22 more wins, one less loss than Djokovic in 2011)

C. Federer won the World Tour Finals

Major not won: French Open (Result: Lost in finals to Nadal)

As you can see, on two separate occasions, Federer not only won three out of the four grand slams—all be it the same ones Djokovic did—he won more matches in these years and lost fewer matches than Djokovic did (2004 Federer and Djokovic each lost six matches).

In the major final that Federer did not win, Roland Garros, he reached the final in 2006, whereas Djokovic lost in the semifinals to Federer.

Following the 2004 U.S. Open, Federer won 10 consecutive matches, winning in Bangkok and in Houston (World Tour Finals).  Following the 2006 U.S. Open, Federer won 22 consecutive matches, winning two Davis Cup matches against Serbia and titles in Tokyo, Madrid, Basel and Shanghai (World Tour Finals).  Djokovic, in stark contrast, won only six matches and dropped four.   

While Djokovic did win more Masters Series 1000 events in a single year than any other player in history, the Serb was statistically outmatched in every other facet by Federer's 2004 and 2006 seasons.

What makes Federer's seasons better is he accomplished just about everything the Serb did plus a little bit more, but did it for the entire season.  This is a testament to Federer's effortless play.  Djokovic played with such a high amount of passion and effort, but his body just said no once the Asian-Pacific swing came around.  For the Swiss, it appears as if he is virtually immune to physical and mental exhaustion, which is what I believe separates him from the Serb.  

Nole's 2011 season is one that will never be forgotten.  An absolute transformation took place in 2011 that no one could have envisioned.  He enhanced his fitness, strategy and technique.  As a result, he produced one of the greatest, but not the greatest season in tennis history.  

Whether or not Djokovic will surpass the greats of our game in the record books remains to be seen. But if Djokovic can replicate his 2011 season, the editors better start clearing some room for the guy from Belgrade who calls himself Novak.