Djokovic's most important and confidence boosting wins over Nadal in 2011?

A remarkable season of tennis, especially for Novak, has drawn to a close and inevitably a time of reflection ensues. 

A dominating 6-0 head to head this season has left a visibly shaken and deflated Rafa pondering how on earth he can beat his great rival. In their meetings the physicality on display has been brutal to the point where at the US Nadal could barely walk! But what was the most important victory for Novak over Rafa in 2011?

There are several ways to determine this in order of importance so here goes.

1) Indian wells: 4-6 6-3 6-2 - Novak's first victory over Rafa in 2011. After initially struggling against the Spaniard, the Serb found his game superbly and played magnificently, especially in the final set, to overpower Nadal. It could be argued this was a sign of things to come as he went toe to toe with the world no1 and appeared to find a balance between consistency, aggression and tactical astuteness. This laid the foundations for his wins over Rafa as he found a game plan to regularly beat him. 

Verdict: Though it was important, I believe this wasn't a defining victory for Novak and was perhaps the least important of his 2011 wins.

2) Miami: 4-6 6-3 7-6(3) - This proved that his previous victory was no fluke and incredibly outlasted Nadal in conditions that favoured Nadal on a slow court with high temperatures. Despite a first set wobble Novak again came from a set down to register his 2nd straight victory over Rafa and in another masters 1000 final. It is one thing to have a plan to defeat someone, but to execute it consistently is an entirely different matter and once again Novak came up with the shots at crucial times, whereas Rafa appeared to go into his shell after gaining a lead in the tiebreak. Novak had proven he was the best hard-court player, but not many believed he would succeed on the Spaniard's beloved clay.

Verdict: This for me was one of the most important victories of the year for Novak as he 'out Nadaled Nadal' and this gave him even more confidence heading toward the clay court season. Furthermore in hindsight, Rafa played some of his best tennis in the week for Miami, so for Novak again to put him to the sword is an extremely impressive feat.

3) Madrid: 7-5 6-4 - IMO this was the best display of Novak's backhand prowess i have ever seen. It was also his first clay court victory over Nadal which is perhaps one of the greatest tasks there is in tennis. After taking a 4-0 lead with metronomic ball striking and precision Rafa fought back but was unable to prevent the Serbinator from taking the first set and despite one of the best shots of the year, (Nadal's lob tweener) Novak broke straight back after losing serve in the 2nd before bullying Nadal into his first victory on the dirt. Despite being broken a few times, Novak always seemed in control creating 12 break point opportunities, which was coincidentally double the amount Nadal posted.

Verdict: His first ever win over the Spaniard on clay and only Rafa's 17th loss on the surface. But this year Madrid was lightning fast and perhaps didn’t suit Rafa's game as well, but nonetheless a stunning victory, totally deserved and no doubt one of the biggest victories Novak has ever registered.

4) Rome: 6-4 6-4 - Perhaps the most comprehensive of all Novak's 2011 victories over Rafa. 'Brutal dominance', to quote a YouTube uploader, perfectly describes his victory here. Rafa had no excuses, no answers, no game plan to combat Novak's prowess here. Rafa tried fruitlessly to find a solution but all were met with an iron fist and quashed into submission. Rafa created just 3 BP's compared to Novak's 11 and hit just 15 winners to 22 UE's. What made the result even more astounding was the fact Novak seemed to be unaffected by the previous night's marathon match against Andy Murray and the Spaniard was on a much more favourable surface and yet Novak still pulled it out.

Journalists such as Jonathon Overend and the guardian's Kevin Mitchell believed this was the most important victory as not only did it show Novak could consistently beat Rafa on hard and now clay, was the fact that never before had Nadal been made to look so powerless to find the remedy to beat Djokovic.

Verdict: In terms of the manner of the win this was the most convincing but had the groundwork already been made before this win? A fantastic result nonetheless and proved Rafa is not quite invincible on the red stuff but was it the most important? I'm not sure.

5) Wimbledon: 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3 - With Novak's no1 ranking already assured by his run to the final, pride was at stake for Rafa but once again Novak would not be denied. The 2nd set in particular was phenomenal as Novak didn't put a foot wrong and bulldozed a perplexed defending champion. Despite his concentration going awry in the 3rd he regained his composure to seal his first Wimbledon triumph which meant Novak had beaten on every surface the tour had to offer (bar indoor). Secondly nobody had ever beaten Nadal five times in a row (Davydenko four times) which is a monumental feat in itself and put a clear gap between the Djoker and the rest of the field. Perhaps more significantly was the fact that Novak had finally snapped his 5 match losing streak in Grand Slam matches against Nadal, a huge feat to get that particular monkey off his back.

Verdict: Proved he can win on any surface and Nadal appeared nonplussed at times and withdraw into his shell on the big moments with uncharacteristic errors becoming more frequent. The best moment of the Serb's career but in terms of victories over Nadal in importance for the rest of the year and in the future, again I believe it wasnt the most important but it was in terms of legacy as he had won his first slam away from Australia.

6) US Open: 6-2 6-4 (3)6-7 6-1 - Both men gave everything they had to offer in an exhausting display of stamina, power and a never say die attitude. Rafa could barely run in the final set, yet still gave his all, but ultimately it showed just how hard he had to work to win just one set against Djokovic 2.0. Though he accumulated 2-0 leads in both the first and second set he was unable to secure the breaks he had made and eventually lost to Djokovic who received treatment on his shoulder and back (which later caused him to miss 6 weeks of the tour, something he never quite recovered from). Nadal seemed more positive in most of his other interviews after a defeat to Novak and he made a fantastic effort despite his serve deserting him not giving him the free points he received in abundance in the 2010 US Open.

Verdict: His first US Open win at the 3rd attempt, his 6th win over Nadal in a remarkable season but not the most significant of his 2011 Rafa victories, but had Nadal won his self belief and confidence would have grown so by out muscling his opponent, the Spaniard cut a dejected figure for quite some time.

Overall Verdict (Most important wins in order): Numbers (confidence) letters (importance)

1) Miami (d)

2) Rome (e)

3) Wimbledon (a)

4) Madrid (c)

5) US Open (b)

6) Indian Wells (f)

What are your thoughts?