While his career is not over just yet, Novak Djokovic has pretty much cemented his claim as the greatest player of all time.
The Serb holds almost every record there is to hold in the sport, including the most Grand Slam titles of any man in history with 24. Djokovic has the most total weeks at world number one, the most ATP Masters 1000 crowns, and has led both his longtime rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, in their respective head-to-heads.
Djokovic held a record of 31-29 against Nadal and 27-23 against Federer, and the confidence to beat them both came from his 2010 campaign at the US Open.
Novak Djokovic’s 2010 US Open campaign
At Flushing Meadows that year, Djokovic saved match points en route to beating Federer in the semifinals, before losing to Nadal in a four-set final. A year later, Djokovic reflected on that campaign, stating in a press conference: “I had a great US Open 2010.
“It was one of the springboards for me for the season that I had so far, 2011. The match against Troicki first round actually last year when I was two sets to one down and a break down and I managed to come back, and then I went to the finals and played an exciting match against Federer in the semis.
“So, you know, after that tournament, US Open I started to believe more that I can win big matches against top guys. You know, I got the necessary confidence, you know, in order to approach the next season.
How would you feel if Novak Djokovic got a wildcard to the ATP Finals?
Is there any changes you’d make to the current qualification system?
“The Davis Cup win was probably the other tremendous experience that I had that gave me a lot of positive energy. I was very eager to come back to the court after that, even though the offseason was very short. But I still wanted to play tournaments.
“You know, in the end this is a very mental sport, so I think, you know, playing on the top level for last couple of years I was aware of the importance of a mental approach to the game. Obviously you need to have a high level of confidence.
|You need to believe that you can win matches when you’re playing against top guys and when you’re playing on Grand Slams. That’s something that I think improved in my life and my game in my head in the last 12 months.”
After the loss in the 2010 US Open final, Djokovic recorded an outstanding 2011 season, winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Novak Djokovic felt immense pressure in his 2011 season
Djokovic was unplayable at times during the 2011 campaign, winning three majors and five ATP Masters 1000 crowns. His sole loss at a Grand Slam that year came at the French Open, where he fell to Federer in four sets.
“I think it’s been a roller coaster ride for me last ten months in every sense of that word,” said Djokovic looking back on that season ahead of the 2011 US Open. On and off of the court I have experienced some things that I didn’t experience before.
“Obviously, I had a fantastic ten months on the court and I had some incredible runs, but I did experience as well the, you know, expectations and the pressure of having that run. But I managed to mentally hold on and really, after that loss in French Open, you know, to stand up and really recover well and perform my best tennis on Wimbledon in the moment when I needed it most.
“I became No. 1 of the world, but I’m enjoying every single moment of it, to be honest. I don’t really want to think of, you know, the time that I will spend on this place or when it will end, when I will, you know, lose the No. 1 spot. I’m really trying to accept everything that I have in front of me as a big challenge.”
Djokovic had his second-highest season win percentage in 2011 with 92%, bettered only by his 2015 campaign, when he recorded a tally of 93%.
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