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. 7: Rafael Nadal, 2010
For the first four months, it didn’t look much like an historic season for Rafael Nadal. He was upset in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and didn’t win his first tournament until Monte Carlo in April. But once Nadal got on the board, he never got off of it. The Spaniard became the first player to win three straight Masters titles when he added Rome and Madrid to his Monte Carlo title. He rolled through Paris without dropping a set, and kept rolling through the All England Club for his second Wimbledon title. But Nadal’s finest achievement came at the US Open, where he had never been past the semifinals in seven tries. The eighth was the charm: He completed his career Grand Slam by beating Novak Djokovic in a four-set final. Nadal was the first player in 41 years to win three consecutive Slams, and the first to do it on three different surfaces. Five short months after his first win of the season, Nadal’s year-end No. 1 ranking was a foregone conclusion.
Check TENNIS.com each day for the next season on the list.
Originally published in the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of TENNIS.