Novak Djokovic won the Paris Masters title on Sunday and that has upped his winning percentage to 91.1% in the 2023 season. That has got him within striking distance of achieving the heights he had achieved in 2011. By the end of that season, Djokovic had achieved a winning percentage of 92.1%.
The 2011 season is to date considered one of the most dominant tennis seasons ever by any tennis player. Novak Djokovic had made a name for himself by virtually doing a Roger Federer at the time, winning 3 Grand Slams in a year. The interesting point to note is that Djokovic played a whopping 76 matches that year and won 10 ATP titles (which included the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open).
Many such as Toni Nadal would consider 2011 much better than the 2023 season since Novak Djokovic was severely challenged by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at their peaks and with more able, young competitors keeping him on his toes. In that season too, Djokovic lost 1 Grand Slam match but played 1 lesser than in 2023.
On the other hand, in 2023, Djokovic has won just 6 ATP titles so far if Grand Slams are also included. He has played only 56 matches this year and in fewer tournaments to be at his peak condition to contend for big titles. Being selective at the age of 36 to prolong his career and for consistency has worked in his favour.
Novak Djokovic has the opportunity to do one better than 2011 in 2023 in a way by winning the ATP Finals in the same season. Should the Serb do so, he would also go past Roger Federer to win the year-ending tournament most number of times, i.e. 7 times. Also, Djokovic could become the oldest player in history to do so as well.
In 2023, Novak Djokovic became the only player in tennis history to win the Australian Open, French Open and US Open in the same season. Doing so at the age of 36 is remarkable in itself. He also won 2 ATP 1000 Masters titles (Cincinnati and Paris) in the second half of the season, something not seen in many years, that too by a player crossing 35. So 2011 vs 2023 will always be a debate, which is a tribute to Djokovic.
Has Novak Djokovic fallen short in 2023 to replicate 2015?
This does seem to be the case. While many tennis commentators and enthusiasts call 2011 Novak Djokovic’s breakthrough season, it is actually 2015 in which he took his dominance to legendary levels. A winning percentage of 93.2% across 88 matches with 11 ATP titles is a feat which not only Djokovic, but no other player could perhaps ever achieve in the future.
Even in terms of prize money, in 2015, Novak Djokovic bagged a whopping $21.6 million, which is nearly $9 million more than 2011. Despite prize money levels soaring in 2023, the World No.1 has managed to only earn $10.5 million approximately so far this season. In 2015, Djokovic was World No.1 for an unprecedented 52 weeks out of 52, something which he struggled for a bit in 2023 thanks to Carlos Alcaraz.
Novak Djokovic beat top 10 players a whopping 31 times that season, while in 2023, he hasn’t played those many matches against top seeds. Additionally, Djokovic also won the Australian and French Open titles going into 2016, making those 18 months a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. However, that feat could also be replicated by him going into 2024 with no other strong contender as such for Grand Slams.
So arguably, out of 2011, 2015 and 2023, 2015 would go down still as his best ever. And seeing Novak Djokovic’s strategy of being selective in playing competitions, it is unlikely that he would play 75 plus matches in a season to win more titles.
