New Delhi: The year 2011 was supposed to be about Rafael Nadal stamping his authority on the men's circuit and talks that were doing the rounds at this year's Australian Open were centered around the possibility of a 'Rafa slam'.
However, it has been Serbia's Novak Djokovic who has stolen the show since then and with his straight sets victory over Nadal in the finals of the Madrid Open it has been proved that he is very much the man to beat on current form.
By snapping Rafa's winning streak of 37 matches on the red dirt, Djokovic extended his astonishing unbeaten run to 32 for the year.
The Serb is now flirting with the possibility of challenging the great John McEnroe's record in 1984 of 42 consecutive wins at the start of a season.
Djokovic has now notched up three wins each over Nadal and Federer this year and is sure to give his nearest rivals sleepless nights with the French Open round the corner.
He has been victorious in all the six tournaments that he has contested in 2011 which also includes the opening grand slam of the year at Melbourne's Flinders Park.
Currently ranked number two in the ATP rankings, the two time Australian Open winner has a chance to topple Nadal from the top spot by winning the upcoming Italian Open.
Novak Djokovic still has some way to go before parallels can be drawn with current and former stars of the game, but let's not marginalize his achievements in an age which has been dominated by arguably the two greatest champions that the sport has ever witnessed.
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