Federer ended the season ruling supreme after three straight tournament victories, picking up the Paris Masters trophy for the first time and then the ATP World Tour Finals title for a record sixth time.
And while 2011 may have been Djokovic's year, Newcombe reckons that the Serb's chances of adding to his tally of four majors during the first six months, are slim.
''Djokovic is really going to struggle the first six months of next year - he's really knocked himself out,'' Newcombe told The Age.
''He's just won so many matches, and it's been pretty obvious, even at the US Open, he was struggling. I even thought he was struggling at Wimbledon against Bernard [Tomic], but he was able to pull himself together. 'He was very lucky to win the US Open, because Roger should never have lost that match from where he was. And now since the US Open, there's injuries, a sore shoulder, a sore back, and when you watch him playing, he's running on three cylinders, so I'd say that his body, it's given in. It's not going to surprise me if, by the end of July next year, Roger is very close to being No.1 again.''
Newcombe is also doubting ten-time major champion Nadal who suffered most at the hands of Djokovic in 2011, losing to him six times.
''With Rafa, it's like the heavyweight champion of the world that's never been knocked out, and suddenly, gets knocked out six times within the space of six months by Djokovic," Newcombe mused. "He doesn't have the same self-belief any more. All of a sudden he's having to face things, questions, that he's never doubted."
