Novak Djokovic: 4 Reasons He'll Be No. 1 at US Open 2012

Throughout the 2000s, the tennis world has known two names in the ATP—those names being Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Now, we have a name for a new era in tennis, and that man is Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic's year has been nothing short of incredible, as he's taken three of the four Grand Slam championships and lost a grand total of two matches in 2011. Now tell me with a straight face that that is not an impressive year.

The countdown is now on to the 2012 US Open, which is my favorite of the Grand Slams. 

There will be lots of speculation from now until then, but one thing is going to remain the same among all the changes: Novak Djokovic will still be No. 1 for next year's US Open.

He's the Best All-Around Player

Given that Djokovic is the top-seeded player in the world, that would seem rather obvious that he's the best all-around player.

Allow me to explain.

With the Federer/Nadal battles, there really wasn't ever one that seemed to have a distinct advantage one way or another. They were pretty evenly matched.

Djokovic doesn't have an even match at this point. While it's true that Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer will always give him a good game, Djokovic is younger, quicker, stronger and more accurate than both of them. 

More to the point, guys like David Ferrer, Gael Monfils and Robin Soderling are never going to matchup, not at least until Djokovic gets old.

For now though, Djokovic is in his prime and has more technical skills than anyone else in the world.

Momentum Is Still Strong

Having 60 wins and two losses in 2011 is enough momentum for anyone.

I've made it very clear that I trust in momentum when it comes to tennis. Coming off a loss and having to compete in a tough match right away is rough, as you've been put to the ground, and now you have to pick yourself up and play again.

While that's the same with any sport, other sports involve a team. In tennis, there's only one person.

Djokovic is going to carry his momentum tidal wave into 2012, and anyone in his path needs to go ahead and accept their inevitable demise in whatever tournament it may be. He's carrying more confidence than anyone and knows he can beat anyone in the world.

The Best Players Before Djokovic Are Fading

The end of an era is upon us. Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer had an incredible ride.

While they still may—and that's a big may—have a couple of Grand Slams left in them, they will only be second and third best to Novak Djokovic. 

As I've mentioned previously, Djokovic is now the best all around player, especially as compared to these two. Three or four years ago, they probably both would've defeated Djokovic.

Now, the quality opponents are thinning. Federer and Nadal have a good two years of competition left in them, and I don't see more than one Grand Slam title for either of them. Thus, Djokovic picks up the pieces left behind.

No One Else to Compete

Gael Monfils, Mardy Fish, John Isner, Robin Soderling, David Ferrer and Andy Murray are all supposed to be the rising players in the world.

The problem with that is that Ferrer and Soderling are both considerably older than Djokovic.

Monfils, Fish and Isner are around the same age and not near top-10 level (yet?).

As for Murray, he just can't seem to get it done in the clutch. Yes, he owns a victory over Djokovic this year, but that came via retirement from the match.

Altogether, this could be the biggest reason why Djokovic will be No. 1 still next year. Simply put, the young guys can't measure up and the older guys are fading fast.

Prepare for the ride everyone. The Djokovic Express is hitting its high speed.