Novak Djokovic won bookend titles this year, starting the season with a somewhat improbable Australian Open 2008 title and ending with a triumph at the Masters Cup on Sunday.

It’s safe to say the first of those two titles was easier. Djokovic did not lose a single set en route to the Australian Open final. He took out Benjamin Becker 6-0, 6-2, 7-6(5), Simone Bolelli 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, Sam Querrey 6-3, 6-1, 6-3, Lleyton Hewitt 7-5, 6-3, 6-3, David Ferrer 6-0, 6-3, 7-5, and Roger Federer 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(5).

The competition was clearly not easy and Federer made Djokovic work extremely hard to finish that semifinal in straight sets, but winning eighteen out of eighteen sets on your way to the final is about as routine as it gets. Surprising finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga put an end to that streak swiftly and decisively in the title match. The Frenchman took the first set 6-4, but he could not sustain that level of play. Djokovic eventually prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(2) in three hours and five minutes for his first Grand Slam trophy.

The Serb had no such easy time of it last week in Shanghai. He opened round-robin play in the gold group relatively comfortable straight-set victory over Juan Martin Del Potro. Two days later, Djokovic faced a much more difficult test. Eventual runner-up Nikolay Davydenko stormed back from a one-set deficit to take the second in stunning 6-0 fashion before extending the third to 5-5. Djokovic survived, however, by winning the last two games of the match.

Although already assured of a semifinal spot, Djokovic wanted to cap off round-robin play by getting revenge on Tsonga, who had beaten him on two recent occasions; first in the Bangkok title match and again on the way to Tsonga’s emotional title at the Masters Series Paris. Well, Djokovic looked like he was interested in winning at least for a while. He won the first set and had Tsonga in the ropes on the second, but eventually dropped it 7-5 to even the match. After that, Djokovic seemed to lack motivation to use energy. He all but conceded the match to Tsonga, losing the third 6-1.

Having played eight sets in three matches (almost equal to his sets-to-matches ratio after three rounds at the Australian Open despite the fact that Grand Slams play three-out-of-five!), Djokovic was nowhere near his best in a grueling semifinal struggle against Gilles Simon. Nobody in Australian Open battled Djokovic the way Simon did on Saturday. After the Frenchman won the first set, it became a clash of physical stamina and will. Simon was dealing with a neck injury while Djokovic endured off-and-on cramps. The world No. 3 had a chance to end the proceedings when he served for a spot in the final at 5-4 in the third, but a devastating double-fault handed Simon the break. Nonetheless, Djokovic picked himself off the floor once again to ultimately prevail 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in two hours and 52 minutes.

Djokovic raised his level to make the final against Davydenko one of his easiest outings of the tournament. He won 6-1, 7-5 in one hour and 43 minutes. Despite the straightforward title match, it’s apparent that this was by far the more routine of Djokovic’s two huge titles in 2008.

While the part in between (the Australian Open and the Masters Cup) was inconsistent if not all-around disappointing for Djokovic (especially a stunning loss to Marat Safin at Wimbledon), starting the year with the Australian Open title and ending with the Masters Cup title is an extraordinary feat. It’s an extraordinary feat that begs the question: will Djokovic be able to carry this momentum from the Masters Cup to win back-to-back titles in Australia?

Prior to the Masters Cup, it looked like Federer, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal would arrive Down Under as the main pre-tournament favorites. The defending champion, after all, had relegated himself to almost second-tier status with a late-season slide. Now, however, everything has changed. Djokovic, Federer, Murray, and Nadal should go into the Australian Open as the four clear-cut favorites, yet without one of the four particularly ahead of or behind any other. Djokovic should have just as good a chance of capturing his second Aussie crows as Federer has of winning his fourth, just as good a chance as Nadal has of winning his maiden Aussie Open title, and just as good a chance as Murray has of winning is first.

One glaring concern prior to Shanghai was Djokovic’s confidence (or lack thereof), but obviously his psyche will be restored by the developments in Shanghai. Furthermore, he is returning to the site of his greatest triumph as a tennis player. You cannot underestimate the significance of returning to a place that harbors such great memories. Finally, none of the other top players in the world look overly daunting (as Federer was until this year) heading into 2009. Federer is no longer as dominant as he once was, world No. 1 Nadal has never been lights on hard courts and has never made it past the Australian Open semifinals, and Murray has never won a Grand Slam.

Is this Djokovic’s chance to go back-to-back Down Under? Is this is chance to overtake Federer as the No. 2 player in the world and gain ground on Nadal? Djokovic made progress in that department at the Masters Cup, especially since Federer lost a boatload of points since the Swiss was the defending champion? Federer and Nadal are defending semifinal points the Australian Open, but Djokovic, of course, is defending far more points as champion.

The pressure is on. Will Djokovic be ready to deliver? One week ago I would have said no without hesitation. But the Masters Cup title sets him up perfectly for the Australian Open 2009.