FedEx Performance Zone: Djokovic Best Vs. Top 10

To be the best, you have to beat the best. It’s not hyperbole, rather a fact of life on the ATP World Tour.

The competitors at next week’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals have done just that, battling through a gauntlet of fierce competition throughout the 2016 season. This year, 12 players claimed at least four wins over Top 10 opposition. It’s no surprise that six of them will be appearing at The O2 in London for the season finale.

World No. 2 Novak Djokovic has consistently been the top performer against the Top 10 in the FedEx ATP Win-Loss Index, posting a ruthless 18-3 record (.857), including a 14-match win streak to open the year. The Serbian’s career index of .680 is also the best among the elite eight in London.

“I have been managing to win most of the big matches against Top 10 players,” Djokovic said during his streak. “I have a certain routine and certain preparation for these big matches that works for me.”

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In addition, Djokovic owns the best combined record against the seven other players to qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. He is 14-3 this year, with his lone defeats coming against Andy Murray in the final of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Rome, Stan Wawrinka in the US Open title match and Marin Cilic on Friday at the BNP Paribas Masters.

Year-to-Date vs. Top 10

Coming in second in the year-to-date FedEx ATP Win-Loss Index is new World No. 1 Andy Murray, who is 11-5 (.688). Marin Cilic rounds out the trio entering London with a record above .500 against the Top 10. The Croatian won six of nine such encounters (.667), including a milestone victory over Murray for the Western & Southern Open crown in August.

“You have to keep improving week after week, and obviously to play consistently well on these tournaments and big tournaments,” Cilic, who arrives in London with a 4-4 mark against fellow season finale contenders, said last week. “Staying in the Top 10 is extremely challenging. There are a lot of obviously great players that are not in Top 10, as well.”

Debutantes Gael Monfils and Dominic Thiem know firsthand what it takes to compile a consistent campaign on the ATP World Tour. The charismatic Frenchman will be looking to notch his 30th career Top 10 win next week in London. While he has only claimed two such victories thus far in 2016, beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and Milos Raonic at the Rogers Cup, the quality of his performances against the Top 10 has significantly improved.

“Among the Top 10, the players are a lot better, but I never thought I was far from them except Novak,” said Monfils in Paris. “Maybe I have a psychological block when I play Novak. Maybe I believe it’s so difficult, but we are working on that. And for the other Top 10 players, I didn’t feel I was that far from them. I had match points against Milos and I beat him once and I went to four sets against Novak.”

Year-to-Date vs. Rest Of London Field

For Thiem, the Austrian has enjoyed a breakthrough season against the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. He entered 2016 with just one victory in his young career and proceeded to amass a 4-7 (.364) mark, earning significant wins over former World No. 1’s Rafael Nadal on clay (Buenos Aires) and Roger Federer on grass (Stuttgart).

Rounding out the elite eight are Milos Raonic, who owns the fourth-highest year-to-date FedEx ATP Win-Loss Index among the contenders (.462), followed by Stan Wawrinka (.400).