Why Novak Djokovic's Competition Will Get Stiffer in the 2016 Season

Novak Djokovic ended his 2015 season the same way he began: No. 1 and in charge. 

However, the recent round-robin competition at the ATP World Tour Finals in London produced results that forecasts stiffer competition for Djokovic in 2016.

Djokovic finished 2015 with an 82-6 record. He won 11 titles, including three Grand Slams and six ATP 1000 Masters this season. He reached the final in 15 of the 16 events he entered in 2015. 

Maintaining such a stronghold on the ATP tour won't be easy. Djokovic's closest competitors—Andy Murray, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Rafael Nadal—also finished 2015 strong.

Younger challengers, such as Kei Nishikori, Bernard Tomic, Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios, Borna Coric and Milos Raonic, are prime for a breakthrough. Nadal was 19 when he won his first Grand Slam. Federer and Djokovic were 21. Murray was 25. Nishikori is 25 and Raonic is 24. Tomic and Thiem are 23 and 22 respectively. Kyrgios and Coric are 20 and 19 respectively.

With all greats, eventually someone younger rises up to knock them off their perch.

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Djokovic still has to contend with contemporaries playing like they're in their prime. 

Federer knows first-hand how difficult it is to keep competitors at bay. In an interview with Agence France-Presse (translated for NDTV Sports), Federer cautioned Djokovic about the pitfalls that follow monumental seasons:

"

It's hard to play at this pace all the time. You are talking about narrow margins, a break point here and there can change the whole outcome...You can't always be on the winning side. Margins are very small at the top. That is why this year of Novak's is amazing. I've been there, Rafa [Nadal] has been there. We both know how hard it is to back it up year after year.

"

By setting the bar so high, Djokovic has given his challengers extra incentive to play harder. Nadal told SuperSport that he must step up his game to catch Djokovic. "My next step is just keep practicing the way that I am doing. I know I need to keep improving things if I want to have chances against Novak next year."

Indeed, it will be tough to top 2015, Djokovic's career best. He ended the season with a decisive straight-sets victory over Federer in the ATP World Tour Final.  

Tennis Magazine's Steve Tignor compared Djokovic's win over Federer in the ATP Finals to the 2015 season. Tignor wrote:

"

It reminded me of the way Djokovic went about his business this season. You could see it on Sunday in the way he bent low, over and over, to dig out Federer’s slice with his two-handed backhand and power it back crosscourt. Djokovic didn’t always make it look easy in 2015, but he always got down and did the heavy lifting.

"

Djokovic has plenty to motivate him in 2016, including winning the French Open and an Olympic gold medal. He told The National,  “That’s definitely one of the highlights and one of the priorities of the next season is to try to get a medal for my country. I’m going to do everything I can possibly to achieve that.”

He'll need to keep his eyes focused forward, especially with such a big target on his back.

Beating Djokovic has become a necessity for any player who wishes to win anything. Besides reaching the finals in all but one of the tournaments he entered this season, Djokovic finished the season with an 93.2 winning percentage overall and 96.4 in Grand Slams. Only Federer (2005, 2006), John McEnroe (1984) and Jimmy Connors (1974) have ended a year with a better winning record with as many titles.  

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Murray acknowledged that even at No. 2, he has a long way to catch Djokovic. The British No. 1 spoke with the the Express, before he played Djokovic at the Shanghai Masters. "Although I'm a long way behind Novak in the rankings right now, that can change a lot if a few matches go your way; the Grand Slam semifinals and finals which are worth the big, big points. To make No.1 in the world, I'll need to win a couple of them." 

After his loss to Djokovic at the ATP Finals, Nadal echoed Murray's sentiments about how quickly things can change. Nadal told reporters, "Novak for the moment is almost unbeatable...But things are like this today. You never know what's going on in the future. I have been in very good situations a couple of times, then I get some injuries, things change. Not everything is that easy." 

Nadal should know. He went from dominating the tour in 2013 to falling out of the Top 10 this year. Nadal won 10 titles, including two Grand Slams and five Masters events in 2013. This year, he captured just three titles, none of them Slams or Masters events. 

Right now, the gap between Djokovic and the rest of the field is as wide as ever. He looks unstoppable. However, as sports fans like to say...wait until next year. In tennis, next year is just several weeks away.