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. Djokovic finished the year at a dominant 70-6 and cemented himself as the world’s best player after one of the greatest single seasons in tennis history.
Chasing the Career Grand Slam (2012-2016) Now firmly entrenched as the world’s best player, Djokovic set his sights on capturing the one major title he had yet to win – Roland Garros. After winning another epic 5-set Australian Open final over Nadal in 2012, Djokovic entered Roland Garros as the favorite but ultimately lost in the final to Nadal.
Djokovic got his revenge at both Wimbledon and the US Open in 2012 and began 2013 by capturing his third straight Australian Open title. After heartbreak at the French Open from 2010-13, Djokovic finally completed the career Grand Slam at Roland Garros in 2016 with a four-set victory over Andy Murray.
With seven Wimbledon titles at the time, Roger Federer still led Djokovic’s Grand Slam haul entering Wimbledon in 2014. But Djokovic ended Federer’s streak of five straight Wimbledon finals by defeating him in an instant classic. In 2015, Djokovic won three majors and racked up six Masters 1000 titles during one of the ATP’s most dominant individual seasons.
By 2016, Djokovic undoubtedly secured himself a place in the pantheon of tennis greats as he continued his relentless pursuit of history.
Elbow Injury and Time Away (2017-2018) After completing a “Nole Slam” by holding all four major titles at once to end 2016, Djokovic was shocked by Denis Istomin in the second round of the 2017 Australian Open. Struggling with motivation and an elbow injury, Djokovic managed to win the French Open in 2016 but took the rest of 2017 off after a quarterfinal loss at Wimbledon.
After undergoing elbow surgery in 2018, Djokovic returned to form during the second half of 2018. He won Grand Slams at Wimbledon and the US Open to bring his total major haul to 14 as he inched closer towards Federer and Nadal’s totals.
Return to #1 and Pursuit of Federer & Nadal (2019-2020) Federer and Nadal had battled for supremacy while Djokovic was away. But upon his return, Djokovic reminded the tennis world of his place at the peak of men’s tennis.
After winning the 2019 Australian Open, Djokovic stormed back to world #1 in February. He saved two championship points against Federer at Wimbledon to win the crown after nearly 5 hours, cementing his status as world’s best grass court player.
At the 2020 Australian Open, Djokovic dominated his competition and captured his 8th Australian Open title. In doing so, Djokovic powered back to #1 and made it clear he was still the player to beat on tour.
With 17 majors, Djokovic shifted his focus to chasing Federer’s record of 20 as the climax of his legendary career neared.
The COVID-19 Pandemic Djokovic was off to another strong start in 2020 when the tennis season was put on hold due to COVID-19. As tennis hiatus continued, Djokovic became controversial figure as he organized the low-safety Adria Tour in June 2020.
Djokovic and three other played ended up testing positive COVID-19, leading to widespread criticism of Djokovic’s judgment and leadership.
When tennis returned in late 2020, Djokovic won Roland Garros for the second time to capture his 18th major title. The win marked Djokovic's second victory in Paris, coming five years after completing the career Grand Slam at Roland Garros. Chasing Tennis History (2021-Present) Djokovic entered 2021 laser-focused on accomplishing two major goals: winning the Olympic gold medal and capturing the Grand Slam. With Federer and Nadal sidelined in Australia, Djokovic cruised to his ninth Australian Open title. In doing so, he denied Daniil Medvedev’s first major title and also foiled the Russian’s attempt at hijacking the No. 1 ranking.
After gaining significant momentum by winning his second ATP event in France entering Roland Garros, Djokovic worked his way to the championship match where he mounted an epic comeback against Stefanos Tsitsipas to win his second French Open.
At Wimbledon, Djokovic won his third Slam of year and equaled legends Federer and Nadal with 20 total Grand Slams – the most earned by a male player.
With the Olympic gold and the Grand Slam in sight, Djokovic headed to Tokyo in pursuit of the only major title he had yet to win. But Alexander Zevrev ended Djokovic's Olympic run in the semifinals, smashing his Golden Slam hopes.
By the time Djokovic arrived at the US Open, tennis history was again within his grasp. After a dominant showing, Djokovic found himself one match victory away from completing the first men's Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969. However, Daniil Medvedev stunned Djokovic in straight sets, denying him the Grand Slam as Djokovic's bid to cement himself as the "GOAT" fell just matches short.
Entering 2022 sidelined due to Australia's COVID-19 vaccine requirements, Djokovic's journey was thrown into question once more. But the world No. 1 returned with vengeance by capturing his 10th Australian Open title in 2023 after missing the 2022 event he has dominated.
With 21 Grand Slam titles, Djokovic continues his quest to further cement his legacy as tennis' greatest male player. Nearing his 36th birthday in 2023, Djokovic aims to continue competing at the highest level while hunting more history in the twilight of his historic career.
Playing Style A tactical master and athletic phenom, Djokovic utilizes a complete arsenal of shots to wear down opponents. After struggling with fitness early in his career, Djokovic transformed his body and is now considered among the fastest and most agile players on tour.
Djokovic overwhelms opponents with a balanced baseline attack and great court coverage.