It’s often said that men’s tennis is deeper and more competitive than it has ever been. And it’s true; the sport has never been played at a higher level. But over the last five years, it hasn’t been the excellence of the ATP as a whole that’s been most impressive. It has been the dominance of the top players despite that depth. Since 2006, we’ve seen three players—Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic—put together seasons that rank among the most gloriously accomplished of the Open era.
Now that the third and perhaps finest of those seasons, Djokovic’s remarkable 2011, is complete, it seems like a good time to look back at where it—as well as Federer’s and Nadal’s best years—fits among the greatest single seasons of the Open era. There’s no right answer, and that’s what makes this parlor game so much fun. Here we present our countdown of the 10 best men’s seasons since the Open era began in 1968.
No. 5: Jimmy Connors, 1974
The Brash Basher of Belleville had been occasionally beating his elders for four years, but 1974 was the season when all of young Jimbo’s prophecies of dominance came true. Mowing opponents down with his revolutionary two-handed backhand, the 21-year-old bashed his way to the first three Grand Slam wins of his career, at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Most famously, he put exclamation points on the last two with his merciless demolitions of aging Australian legend Ken Rosewall in the finals—his 6-1, 6-0, 6-1 win in the Open final was the most lopsided in the tournament’s history. It wasn’t just the majors where Connors excelled; he went 93-4, the second-highest winning percentage (95.9) in the Open era, after John McEnroe’s in 1984. But ’74 would leave the bittersweet taste of “what if” in Connors’ mouth. Because Connors had played World Team Tennis that year, angering the ATP and ITF—he was barred from playing the French Open.
Check TENNIS.com each day for the next season on the list.
Originally published in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of TENNIS.