Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who is considered one of the greatest players of all time. As of 2023, Djokovic has won 92 ATP singles titles, including 21 Grand Slam singles titles. With his exceptional record, Djokovic has cemented himself as one of the most successful and dominant tennis players in the history of the sport.
Early Life and Background Novak Djokovic was born on May 22, 1987 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). He is the eldest child of Srđan and Dijana Djokovic. Novak’s parents owned a family sports business, which enabled him to start playing tennis at the age of four. As a child, Djokovic looked up to and was inspired by fellow Serbian player Monica Seles.
Djokovic practiced in vain bombed sporting infrastructures and struggled with the impact of the war in Serbia during his early years. However, he continued training at the tennis academy of Jelena Genčić, who taught Monica Seles and Goran Ivanisevic. Genčić quickly recognized Djokovic’s promise and worked to develop him into a top player.
At the age of 12, Djokovic moved to Germany to further pursue tennis at the Pilic tennis academy. He later turned professional in 2003 at the age of 16.
Early Professional Career (2003-2006) Djokovic had early success as a professional. In 2004, he won his first ATP tour event in Amersfoort without losing a single set. He finished the year as the world #78.
His climb up the rankings continued in 2005 when he won another ATP title in Metz. By the end of 2005, Djokovic was ranked #40 in the world. In early 2006, Djokovic reached his first ATP final in Adelaide before later achieving his best Grand Slam result at the time by making the quarterfinals at the French Open.
First Major Title and Top 3 Ranking (2007-2010) The 2007 season marked Djokovic’s definitive breakthrough to the tennis elite. At the age of 20, he reached his first Grand Slam final at the US Open. Later that year, Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open when he defeated Roger Federer in the semifinals and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final.
In late 2007, Djokovic won four singles titles within four weeks to help Serbia reach the World Group final in Davis Cup. His hot streak continued into 2008 when he won his first major title outside of Australia at the Australian Open. After starting the year with a record of 21-1, Djokovic became world #3 in March 2008.
Djokovic continued his ascent by making the semifinals at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2009 before reaching world #2 later that year. In 2010, he defended his title at the Australian Open and led Serbia to its first Davis Cup win. By the end of 2010, Djokovic officially became world #3 for the second time in his career.
Domination and Historic 2011 Season The 2011 season marked the start of Djokovic’s utter domination on tour. He began the season by winning the Australian Open while only losing a single set in the tournament. In April of that year, Djokovic won his first clay Masters 1000 title at his hometown tournament in Madrid.
Djokovic’s excellent form continued throughout the Spring clay court season, as he compiled a record of 34-1 entering Roland Garros. At the French Open, Djokovic made it to the semifinals where he suffered his first loss of the season.
Djokovic made history during the summer of 2011 when he won 10 consecutive tournaments leading up the US Open. His crowning achievement was winning Wimbledon for the first time while defeating defending champion Rafael Nadal in the final. By August 2011, Djokovic became world #1 for the first time following a historic 43-match winning streak earlier that year.
At the US Open, Djokovic powered his way to the championship match where he faced Nadal once more. After nearly four hours, Djokovic prevailed to cap off one of tennis’ greatest individual seasons ever. His 2011 campaign included winning three Grand Slams, five Masters titles, and an ATP Finals crown. Djoko