Djokovic has been a revelation in 2011 compared to the often self-doubting and volatile figure of 2009 and 2010, overshadowed by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal when it came to the biggest matches.

Everyone wants to know what's changed but the Serb himself insists it's been nothing radical. 

"It's true that I have improved but by a very small percentage. It's the same game I've had the last couple of years; it's my mental approach on the court that's changed," Djokovic told ESPN magazine. "That was the difference. I stepped it up. I matured and said, 'It's my time. I can do it. I can win major titles.' I think luck falls on not just the brave but also the ones who believe they belong there."

One of the iconic images of Djokovic's season will remain the forehand return he struck at match point down against Roger Federer in the US Open semi-finals. Clipping the outside edge of the line it rattled Federer, completely changed the course of the match and is just symbolic of the fearless tennis which has seen Djokovic sweep all before him this season.

"When Roger's serving for the match at a grand slam, there is a very small chance that he's going to let it go," Djokovic explained. "But I was surprisingly relaxed. I said, "Okay, I have nothing to lose." I stopped thinking too much about what could happen and relied on my physical and mental strength to play the right shots at the right time. I didn't want to do what I'd done the last three, four years, where every time I got to the semifinals or the finals of a grand slam, I lose to Roger and Rafa--not because I'm playing bad, just because they are more dominant than I am mentally."