Djokovic Sets Sights on 2016 Domination Down Under

If there was any doubt that Novak Djokovic was the best player in the world heading into 2015, those doubts were not only erased, but obliterated from the minds of tennis fans and aficionados.

The 28-year-old Serbian put together one of the best seasons in the history of the men’s game in 2015. He won 11 titles overall, including six Masters 1000 crowns and three Grand Slam championships, falling just short of completing the Calendar Grand Slam, losing to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open finals back in May.

But 2015 was a pivotal year for Djokovic. Despite his previous success, it seemed he was still lingering in the shadow of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, and his 82-6 record lent a hand in ensuring that would no longer be the case.

“The last four years, I managed to win the World Tour Finals, where the best players in the world are playing. For some reason or another, I’ve been playing some of my best tennis after the U.S. Open, in Asia and also indoors, both Paris and London,” Djokovic said during November’s ATP World Tour Finals, which he won for the fourth straight time. “I’ve been trying to really pay as equal attention to the work and recovery, as well, mental and physical. It allows me to have the matches and the tournaments I’ve had in the last couple years. But this season definitely stands out. I cannot say I expected it … not at all … but it obviously gives me a lot of confidence for anything that is coming in the future.”

Djokovic put together one of the greatest seasons (arguably the greatest) in the history of the men’s game, becoming only the third player in the Open era to reach all four Grand Slam finals, posting a 93 percent winning percentage and reached the final in every tournament he played in except Doha at the beginning of the year.

He finished the season with more ATP points than Federer (number two in the world) and Andy Murray (number three in the world) combined. And the competition at the top of the sport has never been greater, making what the Serb did in 2015 that much more remarkable. Many believe that the sport has never been as loaded with as many top athletes and has never been as physically demanding than it is today.

Djokovic very well may have been the most dominant athlete in all of sports in 2015. While his colleague on the women’s side, Serena Williams, as well as the likes of basketball star Steph Curry and golfer Jordan Speith all had phenomenal seasons, none were as dominant from the start of the season through the end, finding success from wire to wire.

“It’s hard to play at this pace all of the time … he doesn’t need much,” Federer said of Djokovic’s season and his game. “We’re talking small margins. You don’t win a breakpoint, he does … it changes the whole outcome of the match. You cannot always be on the winning side. Margins are small at the very top. That’s why Novak’s 2015 was so amazing. Nadal has been there. We both know how hard it is to back it up year after year.”

Federer brings up an interesting point, that the margin between victory and defeat in tennis is so small, and that repeating such a dominant year can be extremely difficult.

While Djokovic knows how true this, he has set his sights on another big season in 2016 and will try to duplicate his near-perfect 2015 season.

“Roland Garros is always one of the biggest challenges I have every year, but it’s not the only one,” said Djokovic, who has never won the French Open. “There are the Olympic Games happening every four years. I will try to do as well as I’ve done in the last couple of years, always peak at the right moments and always try to perform my best at the bigger events.”

Each new year presents itself with new challenges and thus new goals. This year, Djokovic will try to reach new goals as he leads his fellow Serbs at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and seeks his first triumph on Paris’ clay-courts. But first, Djokovic will set his sights on Melbourne where he looks to dominate the men’s draw at the 2016 Australian Open.