Is the Gap Between Novak Djokovic and the Field Getting Bigger?

Novak Djokovic just beat Andy Murray like he was a graduate from the challenger tour. On a 22-match winning streak, Djokovic is further distancing himself from the rest of the players on the ATP Tour.  

Djokovic defeated Murray 6-2, 6-4 at the Paris Masters. It was a record fourth Paris Masters title, and Djokovic became the first player to win six Masters 1000 events in one year.

He dismissed Murray in just 90 minutes. It was a first-round-caliber beatdown of a two-time Grand Slam and Olympic gold medal champion.

That's what the ATP looks like these days, a series of Djokovic demolitions. He's 78-5 this year. 

What's scary is that the 10-time Slam champion believes he can get better. After the win, Djokovic spoke with the ATP about his drive and determination to avoid complacency:

"

I try to take nothing for granted. I try to work on my game all the time, because I know that the only way I can stay successful is to continue progressing. I'm not trying to keep the status quo, because for me, that's a regression

I just try to improve all the time, work on certain things in my life and my game, and hopefully get better in the process

[...]

Nobody can be perfect, but if you are going for perfection, you might reach excellence. That's the kind of mindset I have.

"

Physically and mentally, Djokovic seems far ahead of the competition. Winner of four of the last six Grand Slam titles, Djokovic is plowing through the field, rendering the "Big Four" a fairytale. 

Charlie Eccleshare of the Daily Telegraph wrote that Djokovic is so far ahead of the other top players that "the time now has surely come for the ATP Tour’s ‘Big Four’ moniker to be consigned to the history books."

It seems like just yesterday that Djokovic was part of this band of brothers dominating the tour.

Not anymore.

Djokovic has won six of the last seven meetings against Murray. Federer surfaces from time to time now to grab a 500-level tournament. However, the 17-Slam champion now settles for reaching the final as a major accomplishment in the Djokovic era. 

"He kept it close," is now a compliment when Federer plays Djokovic in a final. 

Djokovic's separation from the Big Four reflects the widening gap between him and the rest of the field. 

Rafael Nadal won six of his first eight matches against Djokovic. However, Djokovic has won seven of their last eight contests.

Federer won six of the first eight matches against Djokovic. But Djokovic flipped that switch; he has taken five of the last eight and four of the last five matches against Federer. 

Djokovic has nearly double the rankings points (15,285) as Murray (8,479) at No. 2. He has three times as many points as Nadal (4,530). 

The staggering stats confirm what we are witnessing: Djokovic versus the field. 

He is outplaying the competition. He looks stronger, fitter and more assertive than his opponents. After winning the U.S. Open, Djokovic blew through the China Open and Shanghai Masters, back-to-back major events, without dropping a set. That run included a 6-2, 6-2 win over Nadal and a 6-1, 6-3 victory against Murray.

If Djokovic can dismantle future Hall of Famers with such ease, what hope does the rest of the field have?

Not much. Unless some newcomer takes on superpowers or some old-timer finds rejuvenation oil for bad knees, Djokovic will continue to distance himself from the rest of the tour. 

His shift into overdrive came so swiftly and unexpectedly. The tennis world, prepared for years of Djokovic, Nadal and Murray battles for No. 1, is getting a one-man wrecking crew instead.

After Djokovic defeated Stan Wawrinka in the semifinals in Paris, a reporter asked former French pro Guy Forget for his thoughts on the Serbian's dominance. In response, Forget said: 

"

Sometimes you see Novak playing, and you think he's playing in a dream. He just places his shots in very precise points on the court. We are lucky to see a player do that. We need that kind of player, because now, all the other players say, If I want to beat Novak, I have to play the perfect match.

"

Of course time and younger talent will catch up with Djokovic. But that's at least two to three years away. He's only 28. 

Meanwhile, Djokovic is in a race against himself. What can he do to improve? His cyborg-like focus has people talking about calendar-year and Golden Slams. He's already played himself into the company of Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. 

Guy Forget told reporters that Djokovic could surpass them all:

"

Novak is in the process of writing his own history.

[...]

Maybe in three or four years or for the next three or four years Novak will be able to win two, three, four Grand Slams per year. So he will be at the level of Sampras, Nadal, I mean, he might even be better than them.

"

We'll have to wait and see where he ends up. But right now, he's so far ahead of the competition. Every tournament serves as an opportunity for him to further pad his lead. It's as if the rest of players are in a contest to win a chance to face Djokovic.

He's getting away from them. They better catch up before his soaring silhouette disappears off in the distance.