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With Novak the favorite to win tomorrow against Berdych, he has a chance for something really special this year. First of all, he would be the first player since the Masters tournaments began in 1990 to win all four of the first four big tournaments. Secondly, he will become well-situated to break the record he tied of 8 big titles in a year.
What I mean by "big titles" is the 14 biggest tournaments of the year: the four Grand Slams, the World Tour Finals, and the nine Masters events. Since 1990, here are the best years in terms of number of big titles won:
8: Federer (2006), Djokovic (2011)
7: Federer (2004), Nadal (2013)
6: Sampras (1994), Federer (2005), Federer (2007), Nadal (2010), Djokovic (2014)
5: Sampras (1997), Nadal (2005), Nadal (2008), Djokovic (2012), Djokovic (2013)
In the 25 years from 1990-2014, the leader has won between 3 and 8 big tournaments in a given year, which breaks down as follows (number of years with leader at):
8: 2 years
7: 2 years
6: 5 years
5: 3 years
4: 3 years
3: 10 years
As you can see, the most common numbers is only 3 big titles but all of those happened between 1991 and 2003, meaning since 2004 there has been a more dominant player of the year.
Some interesting years:
- In 1995, three players tied for 4 big titles each - Sampras, Agassi, and Muster
- In 1997, Pete Sampras won 5 big titles and was the only player to win more than one; it was also one of only three years in which ten different players won a big title (the others being 1990 and 2002)
- The year with the fewest big title winners was 2013, with only Nadal (7), Djokovic (5), and Murray (2)
What I mean by "big titles" is the 14 biggest tournaments of the year: the four Grand Slams, the World Tour Finals, and the nine Masters events. Since 1990, here are the best years in terms of number of big titles won:
8: Federer (2006), Djokovic (2011)
7: Federer (2004), Nadal (2013)
6: Sampras (1994), Federer (2005), Federer (2007), Nadal (2010), Djokovic (2014)
5: Sampras (1997), Nadal (2005), Nadal (2008), Djokovic (2012), Djokovic (2013)
In the 25 years from 1990-2014, the leader has won between 3 and 8 big tournaments in a given year, which breaks down as follows (number of years with leader at):
8: 2 years
7: 2 years
6: 5 years
5: 3 years
4: 3 years
3: 10 years
As you can see, the most common numbers is only 3 big titles but all of those happened between 1991 and 2003, meaning since 2004 there has been a more dominant player of the year.
Some interesting years:
- In 1995, three players tied for 4 big titles each - Sampras, Agassi, and Muster
- In 1997, Pete Sampras won 5 big titles and was the only player to win more than one; it was also one of only three years in which ten different players won a big title (the others being 1990 and 2002)
- The year with the fewest big title winners was 2013, with only Nadal (7), Djokovic (5), and Murray (2)