Novak Djokovic a one-man show in 2015

— -- Editor's note: Each day for the next two weeks, ESPN.com is unveiling its 2015 tennis awards.

It's no secret Novak Djokovic strung together one of the finest seasons in ATP history.

He dominated so much so that he has no competition for the 2015 men's player of the year award. We can only enumerate his vast accomplishments. He collected 11 titles and reached the final in 15 of 16 events -- all except his first of the season. Among the highlights, Djokovic won three Grand Slam titles and reached the final at Roland Garros, He also captured six of the nine Masters titles and won the ATP Tour Finals trophy. Thanks partly to large prize-money increases at these events, he collected a record $21 million in winnings.

Djokovic not only finished the year ranked No. 1 but nearly lapped No. 2 Andy Murray in rankings points. Just about the only thing Djokovic did not accomplish this season was to complete the career Slam by winning the French Open, where he fell to Stan Wawrinka in the championship match.

Djokovic finished with a record of 82-6, with three of those losses coming against Roger Federer.

The Serb's season was so good, the question isn't whether it was the best season of the year -- it's whether it was the best season of any year. Only Federer in 2006 (92-5), John McEnroe in 1984 (82-3) and Jimmy Connors in 1974 (93-4) had better winning percentages in a single season.

That Djokovic had a career year is saying something considering he had already assembled an all-time great season in 2011, when he dropped just two matches through the US Open in September, while winning three Grand Slams along the way. But he injured himself in the Davis Cup semifinals and couldn't quite regain his momentum for the fall swing.

This year, Djokovic went 19-1 after New York, and the one match he lost came in the round-robin stage of the ATP World Tour Finals -- a tournament he won.

"I can't say I expected it, not at all," Djokovic said to the press at the year-end championships. "But I always gave my best, and I'm always asking from myself the most. I was always hoping that I can play this well throughout the entire season.

"Again, I've played maybe the best tennis of the season in China. I played great on clay, as well. Overall it's been as close to perfection as it can get, the season. Just blessed and overwhelmed with the emotion and the thrill to be achieving such a great season. It inspires me even more to keep on going."

Despite all of Djokovic's achievements, they were somewhat downplayed compared to Rafael Nadal's inconsistent season and Federer's enduring presence. But now, it's apparent that Djokovic's career is approaching theirs. With a total of 10 Grand Slam titles, he is now seven behind Federer and only four behind Nadal, but the world No. 1 has accrued more weeks at No. 1 than the Spaniard (176-141).

From this point on, Djokovic will not only be playing his legendary rivals for trophies but for space in the history books as well.