We're a month into the 2016 season, and already Novak Djokovic is clearly out ahead of his rivals at the top of the ATP.

He's won 6-1 sets against each of his fellow 'Big Four' members - Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal - already this year, and is making that description look more and more obsolete with each tournament he plays.

2015 was the best year yet for the world number one, as he won three majors and finished the year almost 8000 ranking points ahead of his nearest rival - Murray. Every loss was a surprise as he stormed through the season, winning six of the nine Masters events and reaching the final of every tournament he entered but one.

Djokovic stamps his authority in Melbourne

The Australian Open, as it always seems to be, was a chance for the rest to try and send a message for 2016 by defeating Djokovic, but it ended with the world number one instead underlining his authority with dominant wins over Federer and Murray. His feared return along with his constant depth of shot and relentless consistency make him look entirely unbeatable.

In fact, with the victory it became impossible for Djokovic to lose the top ranking before June 6, giving him at least 201 weeks at the top. With every tournament that goes by, the number of names ahead of him in the all-time lists diminishes. He should catch Nadal's major title count, and Federer's haul of 17 isn't out of the question yet either.

But can anyone stop him? And how can they do it?

It's very tricky to convincingly answer that first question with a 'yes'. Djokovic looks even more dominant than Federer did in his glory years - at least then Nadal was in charge on clay. Djokovic is the favourite against any opponent, on any surface, something that was never true of Federer.

Djokovic is dominant on every surface. | Photo: Telegraph

Fellow Big Four members fall short

Nadal hasn't been close to his best form for quite some time now, and as he approaches his 30th birthday later this year it's by no means certain that he'll ever relive his major-winning days. Even at the French Open last year, Djokovic handled Nadal with relative ease - Nadal does not look like the man to stand in Djokovic's way.

Federer is still capable of posting wins over the world number one, as he proved in London, but despite his still lofty ranking, he's not quite the player he once was. Consistency, more than anything else, seems to be his problem these days, and unfortunately for the Swiss, that happens to be one of Djokovic's biggest strengths.

Yes, Federer won three of their eight matches last year, but it's no coincidence that none of those victories were in best-of five matches. In fact, the last time Djokovic lost to Federer in the longer form of the sport was during Federer's title run at Wimbledon in 2012. Come the French Open, that'll be almost four years ago - it's looking less and less likely to ever happen again.

What of Andy Murray? He's a player that, the 2015 Montreal final aside, Djokovic has owned since Murray's back surgery in late 2013. At his very best, Murray is capable of staying with Djokovic, sometimes even taming him somewhat. Murray's problem, though, is playing every point at his very best - Djokovic's superior consistency means he's able to punish any lapses, no matter how small.

Wawrinka's destructive power can hurt Djokovic

Djokovic's most dangerous opponent looks to be the only man who beat him at Grand Slam level last year - Stan Wawrinka. Wawrinka is one of the most frustratingly inconsistent players on tour, but his two major titles are evidence of the sheer destructive power of his game when on form. Wawrinka is perhaps the only player with the power to hit through Djokovic's defenses, and he's unplayable when he puts together a good run. Whether he will do so or not is an entirely different question.

Powerful, aggressive players who somehow forget how to miss are dangerous for any elite player (ask Nadal how his last few Wimbledons have gone), but Djokovic's defences and consistency are so strong that it seems only one player can hit the ball hard enough to overcome them. Beyond Wawrinka, it's tricky to see who, at this point, is capable of winning three sets out of five over the world number one.

Too early to predict Grand Slam

Predictions of Grand Slams (or even, given it's an Olympic year, Golden Slams) are premature. It's only January; there's plenty of time for things to go wrong for Djokovic, even if it seems unlikely at this point. Even if his tennis remains a level above the rest, injuries are always possible, as is untimely illness. That's not to say this is likely - just to point out that predicting Grand Slams in January is a risky business. 

And of course, there's the mounting pressure as a player nears the Grand Slam. We never saw Federer have to deal with this - Nadal saw to that in Paris - but ask Serena Williams how it feels to be two matches away from it and she'll tell you that it can make even the very best crumble.

Djokovic mentally unshakeable

Thinking about how Djokovic might handle this is interesting. There was a time, a couple of years ago, where his mentality in the biggest matches was being questioned, as his record in major finals slipped into being a losing one at 6-7, but things look very different these days. His ability to come through the toughest of matches and to instantly raise his game when required point to a far, far tougher mental strength than before - an ability to focus completely on the moment. That, along with the easy confidence of a player who knows he's the best, would suggest that Djokovic is well equipped to deal with the pressure of being close to the Grand Slam, but that's a situation that's big enough and rare enough that it's impossible to really know.

It's been clear for a little while now that it takes a special performance from an elite player to take Djokovic down in the biggest tournaments. Unless Wawrinka can get himself back in the zone, or Murray or Federer can somehow match Djokovic's relentless consistency, the Serb doesn't look likely to lose in Grand Slam play any time soon.

After dominating the second best player in the world to win his 11th major title, it seems the biggest obstacle between Djokovic and the Grand Slam is the suffocating level of pressure and expectation that will come, should he get close to completing tennis' rarest of feats.

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