The Baseline Awards: Player of the year

2020 has been a year like no other in tennis. This year’s Baseline Awards look at the standout performers and moments during an unusual season. (Photos: Getty Images)

A double-digit winning streak to start the season. A 17th career Grand Slam singles title. Two Masters crowns. A record-tying sixth time finishing the year atop the standings.

The accomplishments of Novak Djokovic were simply astounding in 2020, and one can’t help but wonder what would have happened in a full season.

As it was, though, Djokovic made the most of his time on the court.

The Serb started off the year by leading his country to the title in the first edition of the ATP Cup, an international team competition held in Australia. Always at his best on the continent, Djokovic carried that momentum with him to Melbourne, where he won the title for the eighth time.

A title in Dubai followed—barely, as he had to rally from the brink against Gael Monfils in the semifinals. A similar situation happened in the Australian Open championship match as Dominic Thiem held a two-sets-to-one lead over Djokovic before the world No. 1 clawed his way back. Those matches showed that winning against Djokovic in 2020 was going to be a near-impossible task.

Before he could add on to his tally and challenge his 2011 winning streak, the global pandemic struck, shutting down the tennis season for months.

When play resumed, Djokovic won the Western & Southern Open to keep his 2020 record perfect. However, that run came to an end in the fourth round of the US Open behind one of the game’s most shocking defaults.

Turning his attention to the rescheduled clay-court season, Djokovic won the Italian Open, only dropping one set along the way. Eager to win the French Open title for the second time in his career, Djokovic advanced to the final, but fell to Rafael Nadal in straight sets.

While he was unable to win a title during the indoor season, he still managed to clinch the year-end top spot for the sixth time, tying his idol Pete Sampras.

Though it was a difficult year in many ways, Djokovic still managed to build upon his legendary career and set himself up for more success on the court in 2021.