Titles, ranking, match wins - Whichever way you look at it, Novak Djokovic has been the best player of the decade
Novak Djokovic has dominated the men's game over the last decade, the period from 2011 to 2020. Djokovic is well ahead of his rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in a number of key metrics, including ranking, titles, match wins against top players and win-loss record against the Big 3.
Novak Djokovic has been World No. 1 for 301 weeks during the decade, which is way ahead of Rafael Nadal who has spent 132 weeks at No. 1 during the same time. Roger Federer meanwhile has spent just 25 weeks at the pole position in the last decade.
Djokovic has also spent 419 weeks in the top 2 and 434 weeks in the top 3, outdoing his rivals by a large margin in both categories.
It should come as no surprise that Novak Djokovic has finished the season as World No. 1 on the most occasions (six, tying the all-time record by Pete Sampras). In comparison, Rafael Nadal has ended three seasons at the No. 1 position, while Roger Federer hasn't done it a single time.
The Serb has also been named ITF World Champion on six occasions, and could possibly win it for a seventh time when the awards are announced next month.
While Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are tied for most Grand Slams in men's tennis history, Novak Djokovic is the overwhelming leader in this stat during the last decade. 16 of the his 17 Slams have come during this time, as compared to 11 for Rafael Nadal and four for Roger Federer.
Djokovic also leads when it comes to titles at the season-ending ATP Finals, Masters tournaments and ATP events overall during the period.
Novak Djokovic has a better record against the top players than Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer during the 2011-2020 decade
Novak Djokovic also tops his rivals when it comes to wins against the top ranked players in the game. Djokovic has more then double (43) the number of Big 3 wins during this time as compared to his rivals (21 for Rafael Nadal and 18 for Roger Federer).
While the Serb leads both Federer (27-23) & Nadal (29-27) in the overall career head-to-head, his dominance over them is even more obvious if you consider only this decade.
Djokovic is 16-6 against the Big 3 at the Slams from 2011 to 2020, as compared to 8-9 for Nadal and 4-13 for Federer. The Serb is 43-21 against the Big 3 across all events during this time, as compared to 21-30 for Nadal and 18-31 for Federer.
Novak Djokovic also has an considerable lead over his rivals when it comes to wins against top 5, top 10 and top 20 players, as well as the total number of matches won in this decade.
Djokovic may not be the most popular player in the sport, but the stats don't lie. Whichever way you look at it, Djokovic has been the Player of the Decade.