Novak Djokovic Confirms Year-Ending No. 1 Ranking with Win over Tomas Berdych

Novak Djokovic will finish the year as the world's top-ranked male tennis player after defeating Tomas Berdych on Friday in the third round of the round-robin portion of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Djokovic came into the match 16-2 lifetime against Berdych, undefeated in 14 hard-court matches with the Czech star. Friday's match was more of the same as Djokovic rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 straight-sets victory.

Along with clinching the top spot in the year-end world rankings, Djokovic also qualified for the semifinals in the tournament, extending his indoor win streak to 30 matches.

That impressive run spans three seasons. 

Matt Zemek of Bloguin talked about what his accomplishment meant in the grand scheme of things:

Djokovic has ended three of the last four years as the world's top-ranked player, a feat that hasn't been accomplished in 41 years. Just behind him in this year's rankings is the age-defying Roger Federer. At 33, Federer continues to be one of the best players in the world.

The 27-year-old Djokovic took over the top spot officially on July 7, and he hasn't relinquished it since. He had compiled a record of 57-8 in 2014 leading into the Barclays tournament, capturing six titles. He was 22-3 in Grand Slams as he secured the Wimbledon title for the second time in his career. Djokovic's consistency is the main reason he's been able to remain near or atop the rankings.

He won more titles than Federer and rival Rafael Nadal in 2014 (Federer won five and Nadal had four), and he's the only one of the three to reach the quarterfinals or further in all four Grand Slam events.

With the Australian Open set to start in just over two months, Djokovic's momentum at the end of 2014 should provide him with a strong start to the 2015 season.