Grading Novak Djokovic's 2016 Season and Looking Ahead to 2017

Only Novak Djokovic could win two major titles in 2016 and somehow face the kind of scrutiny that could classify his year as somewhat of a disappointment. Had Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray won two majors this year, the acclaim would never end.

Context and expectations are everything, so the Djokovic story needs to be told.

The short of it all is that Djokovic had an amazing year, one that he or anyone else would be glad to produce. We're going to take time to applaud his epic achievements, but we're also going to look at his relative struggles in summer and autumn.

What will it all mean for 2017 as the champion Serb gets ready to blow out the candles on his 30th birthday in late May? Does he have another dominant No. 1 reign ahead? Will he win two more major titles to pull into a career tie with Nadal and Pete Sampras with 14?

This is the fourth of our offseason superstar report cards. Previously we graded Stan Wawrinka, Nadal and Federer.

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Grade: A

After years of long-suffering heartbreak, Djokovic finally lifted the French Open's Musketeers' Cup, the one championship he needed to complete his immortal legacy. Furthermore, he held all four Grand Slam titles, something no other superstar had accomplished in nearly half a century and all the more impressive to win against modern competition on red clay, grass and two kinds of hard courts in different hemispheres.

Djokovic is already a virtual lock for player of the decade, and he is arguably the most complete player of all time, particularly impressive given that his prime tennis beat back the two other superstars who can make similar legacy claims.

What's not to love about his skills? Nobody is deadlier in turning defensive positions into lethal offense. Murray might be the better retriever, but Djokovic's defense is deadlier in cutting through his opponents. His mastery of angles and line-hugging precision made him nearly unbeatable in big matches from 2015-16 when he won five majors in six attempts.

Before summer 2016 had started, Djokovic won Doha, the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and the French Open. This was even more impressive than his first half to 2015 when he won four Masters 1000 tournaments and the Australian Open.

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It's all the evidence needed to state there has not been a player since Andre Agassi dominated the slower hard courts, and Djokovic has lapped the American legend with six Australian Open titles, five at Indian Wells and six at Miami (Agassi had four, one and six, respectively).

Throw in Djokovic's red-clay accomplishments of two Monte Carlo titles, four at Rome, two at Madrid and the French Open, and these big 25 first-half titles are at least an interesting counterbalance to Nadal's stratospheric combination of 33 first-half titles (29 titles on accumulation of red-clay Masters 1000 and French Open).

Compliment Djokovic further for his commitment, work ethic and desire to improve his serve and short game, become more patient with his groundstrokes and play with the mental toughness and competitive spirit that used to define Nadal. He did it all with cool fire and gracefulness through tough defeats.

King Novak has become an original standard of tennis greatness. He's matured into a great champion and stand-up person, an ambassador for the post-Fedal "golden era."

Was it any wonder Djokovic could not sustain what may have been the greatest level of tennis ever played? The feeling in June was that he could switch over to autopilot and possibly chase down Federer's record 17 major titles. But the Serb was clearly exhausted, perhaps more mentally after achieving that French Open title. The weight had been lifted, but so had the machine-like obsession to win major titles.

He lost a third-round match at Wimbledon, rebounded for his last title to win the Rogers Cup in late July and subsequently fell at the Olympics, U.S. Open, Shanghai, Paris and ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Some of this was due to nagging injuries in August and September that crippled his efforts at the U.S. Open. In many ways, this was also a triumph. He somehow battled all the way to the final and won the first set before his body could not stand up to the hard pounding from Wawrinka's baseline blasts.

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But Djokovic admitted he took his foot off the gas. "I am mentally and emotionally exhausted since Roland Garros," he said in the Mirror. "Recently, there have been too many times where it has been too much effort mentally, in training or in a match, to re-find this type of fulfillment that is the key to everything."

After the season, he parted ways with coach Boris Becker who had helped shape the killer Djokovic reign. Becker's interview with Sky Sports revealed Djokovic did not practice as hard during the 2016 second-half drop.

Djokovic lost his No. 1 ranking after 122 consecutive weeks at the top, and his defeat to Murray in the WTF final prevented him from finishing as the year-end No. 1.

So 2016 could have been truly epic had he won the U.S. Open and dominated Asia, but it's also unfair to expect he could turn on a switch and coast to these titles. If anything, his second half is a tribute to just how amazing his 18-month reign had been.

Djokovic needed to fall down and rest, but to paint the year as some kind of failure is to think of him as a video game character. Being a human champion exacts an incredible price, as much physical as mental. Being the very best is emotionally draining, and Djokovic needed to recover.

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Outlook 2017

He will defer to Murray for the No. 1 seed at the Australian Open in late January, but Djokovic is the six-time champion and favorite, if he rediscovers his A-level zone. He's dealt Murray three of his four defeats at the Melbourne final. If he's right, Djokovic wins.

And that's the standard Djokovic has established this decade. It's usually on his racket as to if he will win the big matches. He's the primary story, win or lose, and while he's very unlikely to hold another Grand Slam of four major titles at once, at the moment he's the 2017 favorite for Melbourne and Roland Garros.

Motivation will probably be a top priority once again because champions hate to fall. When they do, there's this boxer's mentality that kicks in, believing they can fight like a young tiger and get back to the top. It's a proud thing to be the very best, and Djokovic will crave it like never before.

And who knows, a second French Open title would put him ahead of Federer and Nadal to claim the double career major (at least two of each of the four majors).

Don't count out Djokovic from Wimbledon or the U.S. Open either. The surfaces are faster than his ideal liking, but five combined championships there are proof enough he could cash in for another one or two of the second-half majors.

No disrespect to Murray's recent surge to the top, but Djokovic just needs to get back to being King Novak and the rest will take care of itself.

Yes, younger and rising contenders will emerge, perhaps including Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios and Alexander Zverev. And there will be at least occasional threats from the likes of Juan Martin del Potro, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and perhaps Federer and Nadal.

One thing's for sure. Djokovic would gladly sign up to replicate 2016. Two major titles and probably the No. 1 ranking for 2017 is an incredible achievement, and he's still probably the only player on tour who could do it, even with Father Time looking to carry his equipment bag and drive him to the airport.