Novak Djokovic will go down in history as arguably tennis’ greatest ever player but he had to work extremely hard for his success.
The Serbian announced himself as a contender by reaching the 2007 US Open final, and claimed his first Grand Slam title months later at the Australian Open.
But the Serbian had to work hard to break through and dominate the game in the years that followed, as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer occupied the top two spots in the world rankings.
They were the most successful players during the second half of the 2000s into the 2010s and their rivalry transcended the sport like very few before them. But when the 2011 season commenced, things were about to change.
Novak Djokovic explains how he turned the tables on Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer
When 2011 began, it had been three years since Novak Djokovic won his first Grand Slam.
He was third in the world behind Nadal and Federer, and he was determined to change things and find a way to become the game’s best player.
This is exactly what transpired, as Djokovic claimed three of four Grand Slams that season and became the World number one for the first time in his career.
During an interview with Spanish outlet La Nacion, Djokovic described the mindset he adopted to finally get the better of his rivals on a more consistent basis.
“It took me three years to win my second Grand Slam and I was No. 3 in the world for those three years. I was also No. 2 in 2009 and I was playing at a very high level, but I couldn’t get to win Grand Slams because of those two,” the Olympic champion said.
“They dominated everything. I didn’t have the formula to beat them. I was able to win one or two matches against them, but not the important ones. Those three years were crucial for my development. They made me hungrier to win, especially against them.
“I knew that if I could find a way to be like those guys in the big matches, and I knew a lot of that came from the mind, I could somehow figure out the Grand Slams and start winning more. And that’s what happened.”
When did Novak Djokovic start beating Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer more often?
2011 was the season that changed Djokovic’s career as began his journey to becoming an all-time great.
He won 10 titles that season, three of which were Grand Slams, and had the measure of Federer and Nadal, his biggest rivals.
The Serbian played a combined 11 matches against them that season and won 10 of them, with his only defeat coming against the Swiss Maestro at the 2011 French Open.
Federer’s four-set victory marked Djokovic’s first loss of that season, ending a 41-match winning streak.
Djokovic also won five Masters 1000 titles that year and became the World number one after beating Nadal in the Wimbledon final.
Since then Djokovic has gone on to lead his overall head-to-head rivalries against Federer and Nadal and now has 24 Grand Slam titles, four more than Federer and two more than Nadal.
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