Novak Djokovic: Will He Overtake Rafael Nadal to Become World No. 1?

Get ready for Novak Djokovic to become World No. 1!

It won't happen this month, it might not even happen this year, but if the Serb goes on to play with the same consistency he has been playing with over the past couple of months, then take your best bet to consider when that might very well happen.

As the first Masters 1000 event of the season in Indian Wells is about to start for the main seeds, it is one of the few times when Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal are not among the favorites to win the tournament.

Don't start to write your comment just yet! I'm not suggesting Federer or Nadal can't win the event.

They are among the favorites to win in Palm Springs, but if we take a closer look at what happened since the start of the year, we have to see Djokovic as the main favorite to win a Masters he already won back in 2008.

Nole is undefeated so far this year after winning the Australian Open and Dubai by crushing Federer on both occasions. In order to prepare for this event, he did not play the Davis Cup, and he also has the added advantage of playing on the hard outdoor surface at Indian Wells—a surface the current World No. 3 loves.

Meanwhile, Nadal is barely returning to competitive tennis after missing tournaments in February due to a hamstring injury. But if Nadal can reach the final against Djokovic in California, then we might have some of the most unforgattable moments of the season.

A lot of people are asking if Novak Djokovic can become the new World No. 1.

In order to assess this question, we must look at several factors.

The first sign of a champion is the belief in his own success. We're used to hearing how they have to have a big ego, a special way to see themselves, their strength and their potential.

This is obviously the case for Novak, to such a point that he was called arrogant for a long time. But now what was described as a flaw is seen as a quality.

Djokovic was also accused of being a cheater because of some matches he won despite calling on the trainer and looking like he was too hurt to go on. But he always showed a type of mental strength that was way stronger than a lot of other players. The Serb is a huge fighter, whose ego orders him to refuse defeat. He rarely gives up.

Despite the outstanding domination of men's tennis of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who have won 24 of the last 28 Grand Slams, the Serb has never been discouraged.

By winning the Davis Cup, Djokovic has gained great confidence. This final was a trick for him: the team was relying on him and the outcome rested soley on his shoulders. The whole pressure from the country was on his back, and people were wondering if he would be strong enough to take it.

But even better than just playing his part, he totally handled the whole tie by winning both his singles in straight sets. His charisma brought a huge confidence to the team.

Physically, Djokovic is the ideal tennis player. Tall and slender, he has the height in order to serve well and the lightness needed to be explosive in his footwork, particularly in changing direction. He has the muscle quality demanded to remain explosive, the strength to keep his balance while playing fast, the flexibility demanded to reach balls even in a tough position and the cardiovascular capacity in order to handle long rallies without any recovering issue. All those abilities allow him to be efficient in all aspects of game.

Djokovic knows how to play aggressive when he gets the chance to, especially with running around his backhand in order to use his forehand. He's often doing that sequence after his first serve. He's really efficient on that shot, mainly because he knows how to jam his opponent in order to push him to pick a side before striking in the other one.

He has a lot of safety on his forehand, proof of a nice balance between speed and a big topspin effect. His backhand is played more flat, and it's the shot he uses the most in order to counter-punch. That's why he loves when the game is played in the backhand diagonals so he keeps two options.

He can strike with his backhand down the line, using the speed of the ball, or his opponent is forced to play slower and then Novak has the time to turn around his backhand in order to strike with his forehand.

He's wins a lot of matches because he pushes the other to make a mistake, by forcing him to go for the lines. Like Caroline Wozniacki or Nadal (to a lesser extent), the Serb gets his rivals to enter a really physical fight. Points are long and demanding so each player confronted to him knows he'll have to fight a lot and this is a big mental edge for Novak.

In order to complete his whole package, it has to be noted that Djokovic owns an amazing return of serve. For me, he's among the short list of the best in the world. His eye, his speed and his aggressiveness on shot are keys he uses to play this shot to near perfection. For some months now, his serve has been back to its best.

He has gone back to his old motion, and now he looks more comfortable on the court. He can use both main serves to help him to get his opponent out of the court: the slice at deuce and the kick on the advantage side. He also seems much happier to serve flat on the T and now his first serve percentage is often around 60 percent.

Beside all his talent, Novak is a true character. He's biding his time, confident and aggressive in order to achieve his goals. Rafa and Roger have been in his way for many years now, but he has kept improving.

And I'm convinced that it'll pay off. He has the will and the means.