Novak Djokovic’s 2011 season is widely considered one of the best of all time, but it could have been much more illustrious if it hadn’t been for Roger Federer.
Djokovic’s incredible tennis career has seen him notch up 24 Grand Slam wins, and he reached his peak in 2011.
The former World No. 1 was imperious in 2011, ending the year with a sensational 70–6 and three Grand Slam titles.
Djokovic could have broken a record dating all the way back to 1969, but a loss to Federer derailed his plans.
Roger Federer stopped Novak Djokovic from winning every Grand Slam in 2011
Djokovic won three Grand Slams in 2011, picking up the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open as part of the 11 championships he won in that year.
The Serbian’s only Grand Slam loss in 2011 came at the hands of Federer, who stopped Djokovic from winning all four in a calendar year.
That feat has only been achieved once in the Open Era, when Rod Laver picked up all four championships in 1969.
| Championships won by Novak Djokovic in 2011 |
| Australian Open |
| Dubai Tennis Championships |
| BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells |
| Sony Ericsson Open, Miami |
| Serbia Open, Belgrade |
| Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid |
| Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Rome |
| Wimbledon Championships, London |
| Rogers Cup, Montreal |
| US Open, New York City |
Federer, who lost to Djokovic four times in 2011, managed to navigate past the Serbian in the semi-finals of Roland Garros.
The Swiss star defeated Djokovic in four sets, but still was not able to lift the trophy in the final as he fell to his old rival Rafael Nadal.
Novak Djokovic took a Roger Federer record at the 2025 US Open
Djokovic is still plying his trade on the ATP Tour and has a genuine chance of nabbing his 25th Grand Slam victory at the US Open.
The star is safely into the quarter-finals, where he’ll play Taylor Fritz, which means Djokovic has overtaken a remarkable Federer record.
Djokovic has achieved 193 career wins at hard-court Grand Slams following his victory over Jan-Lennard Struff, which is two more than Federer’s all-time record.
Most wins at hard-court Grand Slams
- 193: Novak Djokovic [193-24]
- 191: Roger Federer [191-29]
- 144: Rafael Nadal [144-28]
It might be of little consolation to Djokovic after Federer stopped him from making history in 2011, but it does prove he should be regarded as the greatest of all time.