Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic born 22 May 1987 is a Serbian professional tennis player. He’s at the moment ranked as world No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Djokovic has been No. 1 for a report complete of 329 weeks and has completed as of year-end No. 1 on an Open Era joint report on six events (shared with Pete Sampras). He has received 20 Grand Slam male’s singles titles, an all-time record shared with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Djokovic has received 85 ATP singles titles total, together with a report of 9 Australian Open titles and a joint report of 36 Masters occasions (shared with Rafael Nadal). He’s the one participant to win the entire “Huge Titles” on the trendy ATP Tour—which consists of all 4 Grand Slam tournaments, all 9 ATP Masters occasions, and the ATP Finals. Particularly, he’s additionally the one participant within the Open Era to realize a double profession Grand Slam, in addition to the one player to finish the career Golden Masters, which he has carried out twice.
Djokovic started his skilled profession in 2003. At age 20, he interrupted Roger Federer’s and Rafael Nadal’s streak of 11 consecutive majors to win his first Grand Slam title on the 2008 Australian Open. By 2010, Djokovic additionally separated himself from the remainder of male tennis to hitch Federer and Nadal within the Huge Three, the group of three gamers who’ve dominated male tennis for greater than a decade. In 2011, Djokovic was ranked No. 1 for the primary time, successful three out of 4 majors, and a then-season report of 5 Masters occasions. He remained the most effective participant in male tennis for the remainder of the last decade, main the tour in main and Masters’s titles, and successful 4 out of his 5 titles on the ATP Finals consecutively from 2012 by 2015. After 4 consecutive year-end finishes at No. 3 by 2010, Djokovic completed No. 1 for six years and No. 2 for 3 years within the subsequent decade.
Djokovic had one other profession for 12 months in 2015, reaching fifteen consecutive finals, together with all 4 main finals and eight Grasp’s finals, successful three majors, and a season report of six Grasp’s occasions in addition to the ATP Finals. In the next 12 months, he received the 2016 French Open to finish the professional Grand Slam and the non-calendar 12 months Grand Slam. He additionally grew to become the primary male participant since Rod Laver in 1969 to carry all 4 main titles directly and the one one in the historical past to take action on three completely different surfaces. By successful the 2021 French Open, he grew to become the primary male participant within the Open Period to realize the professional Grand Slam twice. His title run on the 2021 Wimbledon Championships the next month gave him the excellence of being the primary man since Laver in 1969 to win the primary three Grand Slams of the 12 months.
Representing Serbia, Djokovic has led the Serbian crew to their first Davis Cup title in 2010 and to the inaugural ATP Cup title in 2020. He received the bronze medal for Serbia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has received the Laureus World Sportsman of the 12 months award in 4 instances and can be a recipient of the Order of St. Sava, the Order of Karađorđe’s Star, and the Order of the Republika Srpska. The exterior of competing, Djokovic was the previous ATP participant council president and can be an energetic philanthropist. In August 2020, Djokovic and Vasek Pospisil introduced the formation of the Skilled Tennis Gamers Affiliation (PTPA) as the primary player-only affiliation in tennis, citing the necessity for gamers to have an extra effect on the tour and advocate for higher prize cash construction for lower-ranked gamers.
Tennis profession
2001–03: Juniors
As a member of the Yugoslav nationwide crew, Djokovic reached the ultimate of the 2001 Junior Davis Cup for gamers below 14, wherein he misplaced his match in singles. In juniors, he compiled a singles win/loss report of 40–11 (and 23–6 in doubles), reaching a mixed junior world rating of No. 24 in February 2004. On the junior Grand Slam tournaments, his finest displaying was on the Australian Open the place he reached the semi-finals in 2004. He additionally performed on the French Open and US Open junior occasions in 2003.
2003–05: Begin of professional profession
Djokovic turned skilled in 2003 by coming into the ATP Tour, across the time Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal established themselves as the 2 dominant gamers in male tennis. At the beginning of his skilled profession, he primarily performed in Futures and Challenger tournaments, successful three of every kind from 2003 to 2005. His first tour-level event was Umag in 2004, the place he misplaced to Filippo Volandri within the spherical of 32.
Djokovic made his first Grand Slam event look by qualifying for the 2005 Australian Open, the place he was defeated by eventual champion Marat Safin within the first spherical in straight units, after defeating future rival Stan Wawrinka in qualifying. He went on to succeed in the third spherical of each Wimbledon and the US Open, getting back from two units right down to defeat Guillermo García-López within the former and beating Gaël Monfils and Mario Ančić within the latter. Djokovic participated in 4 Master’s occasions and certified for 2 of them, his finest efficiency coming in Paris, the place he reached the third spherical and defeated fourth seed, Mariano Puerta, alongside the way in which.
2006: First ATP titles
Djokovic reached the highest 40 on the earth singles rankings after making his first quarterfinal look at a Grand Slam occasion, coming on the French Open, and likewise by reaching the fourth spherical at Wimbledon that 12 months.
Three weeks after Wimbledon, Djokovic received his first ATP title on the Dutch Open in Amersfoort without shedding a set, defeating Nicolás Massú within the ultimate. He received his second professional title on the Moselle Open in Metz, France, and moved into the highest 20. He additionally reached his first professional Master’s quarterfinal at Madrid in the course of the indoor hardcourt season.
On 9 April 2006, Djokovic clinched a decisive Davis Cup win towards Nice Britain by defeating Greg Rusedski in 4 units within the fourth match of the tie, giving Serbia and Montenegro an insurmountable 3–1 lead of their best-of-five collection, thus conserving the nation within the Group One Euro/African Zone of Davis Cup. Afterward, Djokovic briefly thought about shifting from Serbia to play for Nice Britain. Following this match-up, the British media spoke of Djokovic’s camp negotiating with the Garden Tennis Affiliation about altering his worldwide loyalty by becoming a member of the British tennis ranks. The 19-year-old Djokovic, who was ranked sixty-third on the earth at the time, largely dismissed the story at first by saying that the talks weren’t critical, describing them as “the British being very sort to us after the Davis Cup.” Nevertheless, greater than three years later, in October 2009, Djokovic confirmed that the talks between his household and the LTA all through April and Could 2006 have been certainly critical:
Britain was providing me loads of alternatives they usually wanted somebody as a result of Andy [Murray] was the one and nonetheless is. That needed to be a disappointment for all the cash they make investments. However, I did not want the cash as a lot as I had carried out. I had begun to make some for myself, sufficient to afford to journey with a coach, and I stated, ‘Why the heck?’ I’m Serbian, I’m happy with being a Serbian, I did not need to spoil that simply because one other nation had higher circumstances. If I had performed for Nice Britain, after all, I’d have performed precisely as I do for my nation however deep inside, I’d by no means have felt that I belonged. I used to be the one who took the choice.
2007: Prime 3, US Open ultimate & first Masters titles
Djokovic started 2007 by defeating Australian Chris Guccione within the ultimate of the event in Adelaide, earlier than shedding within the fourth spherical of the Australian Open to eventual champion Roger Federer in straight units. His performances on the Master’s Sequence occasions in Indian Wells, and Miami, the place he was the runner-up and champion respectively, pushed him into the world’s high 10. Djokovic misplaced the Indian Wells ultimate to Rafael Nadal however defeated Nadal in Key Biscayne within the quarterfinals earlier than defeating Guillermo Cañas for the title within the ultimate.
After successful his first Grasp Sequence title, Djokovic returned to Serbia to assist his nation to enter the Davis Cup World Group in a match towards Georgia. He received a degree by defeating Georgia’s George Chanturia. Later, he performed within the Monte Carlo Masters, the place he was defeated by David Ferrer within the third spherical, and on the Estoril Open, the place he defeated Richard Gasquet within the ultimate. Djokovic then reached the quarterfinals of each the Internazionali d’Italia in Rome, the place he misplaced to Nadal, and the Hamburg Masters, the place he was defeated by Carlos Moyà. At the French Open, Djokovic reached his first main semi-final, shedding to eventual champion Nadal.
At Wimbledon, Djokovic received a five-hour quarterfinal towards Marcos Baghdatis. In his semi-final match towards Nadal, he retired with elbow issues within the third set, after successful the primary and shedding the second set.
Djokovic throughout his first-round match on the 2007 US Open.
Djokovic’s subsequent event was the Rogers Cup in Montreal, and he defeated No. 3 Andy Roddick within the quarterfinals, No. 2 Nadal within the semi-finals, and No. 1 Federer within the ultimate. This was the primary time a participant had defeated the highest three ranked gamers in a single event since Boris Becker in 1994. Djokovic was additionally solely the second participant, after Tomáš Berdych, to have defeated each Federer and Nadal since they grew to become the highest two gamers on the earth. After this event, Björn Borg said that Djokovic “is certainly a contender to win a Grand Slam (event).” The next week on the Cincinnati Masters, Djokovic misplaced within the second spherical to Moyà in straight units. However, he went on to succeed in the ultimate of the US Open, the place he had 5 set factors within the first set and two within the second set however misplaced all of them earlier than shedding the match in straight units to the top-seeded Federer.
Djokovic received his fifth title of the 12 months on the BA-CA TennisTrophy in Vienna, defeating Stanislas Wawrinka within the ultimate. His subsequent event was the Madrid Masters, the place he misplaced to David Nalbandian within the semi-finals. Djokovic, assured of ending the 12 months ranked No. 3, certified for the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup (ATP Finals) however didn’t advance past the round-robin matches. He acquired the Golden Badge award for the most effective athlete in Serbia, and the Olympic Committee of Serbia declared him the most effective athlete within the nation.
Djokovic performed a key position within the 2007 play-off win over Australia by successful all his matches and serving to promote the Serbia Davis Cup crew to the 2008 World Group. In Serbia’s tie towards Russia in Moscow in early 2008, Djokovic was sidelined as a result of influenza and missed his first singles match. He returned to win his doubles match, teaming with Nenad Zimonjić, earlier than retiring throughout his singles match with Nikolay Davydenko.
2008: First Main title, two Masters & first 12 months-end Championship title
Djokovic began the 12 months by taking part in the Hopman Cup with fellow Serbian world No. 3 Jelena Janković. Whereas he received all his round-robin matches, the crew misplaced 1–2 within the ultimate to the second-seeded American crew of Serena Williams and Mardy Fish. On the Australian Open, Djokovic reached his second consecutive Grand Slam ultimate with out dropping a set, together with a victory over two-time defending champion Federer within the semi-finals. By reaching the semi-finals, Djokovic grew to become the youngest participant to have reached the semi-finals in all 4 Grand Slam occasions. Within the ultimate, Djokovic defeated unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 4 units to earn his first Grand Slam singles title. This marked the primary time for the reason that 2005 Australian Open {that a} Grand Slam singles title was not received by Federer or Nadal.
Djokovic’s subsequent event was the Dubai Tennis Championships, the place he misplaced within the semi-finals to Roddick. On the Pacific Life Masters in Indian Wells, Djokovic received his ninth profession singles title, defeating Mardy Fish within the ultimate. Djokovic received his tenth professional singles title and fourth Grasp Sequence singles crown on the Internazionali d’Italia in Rome after defeating Wawrinka within the ultimate. The next week he misplaced to Nadal within the semi-finals on the Hamburg Masters, On the French Open, Djokovic was the third-seeded participant behind Federer and Nadal. He misplaced to Nadal within the semi-finals in straight units.
On grass, Djokovic as soon as once more performed Nadal, this time within the Artois Championships ultimate in Queen’s Membership, the place he misplaced in two units. Djokovic entered Wimbledon seeded third however misplaced within the second spherical to Safin, ending a streak of 5 consecutive majors the place he had reached a minimum of the semi-finals.
Djokovic then didn’t defend his 2007 singles title on the Rogers Cup in Toronto – he was eradicated within the quarterfinals by eighth-seeded Andy Murray. The next week on the Cincinnati Masters, Djokovic superior to the ultimate, beating Nadal within the semifinals and thereby ending the Spaniard’s 32 matches successful streak. Within the ultimate, he once more misplaced to Murray in straight units. His subsequent event was the 2008 Summertime Olympics, his first Olympics. He and Nenad Zimonjić seeded second in male doubles, have been eradicated within the first spherical by the Czech pairing of Martin Damm and Pavel Vízner. Seeded third in singles, Djokovic misplaced within the semi-finals to Nadal. Djokovic then defeated James Blake, the loser of the opposite semi-final, within the bronze medal match.
After the Olympics, Djokovic entered the US Open seeded third, the place he defeated Roddick within the quarterfinals. To a smattering of boos in a post-match interview, Djokovic criticized Roddick for accusing him of creating extreme use of the coach throughout matches. His run on the US Open ended within the semi-finals when he misplaced to Federer in 4 units, in a rematch of the earlier 12 months ultimate. Djokovic went on to play 4 tournaments after the US Open. On the Thailand Open, he misplaced Tsonga in straight units. In November, Djokovic was the second seed on the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. In his first round-robin match, he defeated Argentine Juan Martín del Potro in straight units. He then beat Nikolay Davydenko in three units, earlier than shedding his ultimate round-robin match towards Tsonga. Djokovic was certified for the semi-finals, the place he defeated Gilles Simon. Within the ultimate, Djokovic defeated Davydenko to win his first title in the year-end championship.
2009: Ten finals, 5 titles
Djokovic began the 12 months at Brisbane Worldwide, the place he was upset by Ernests Gulbis within the first spherical. On the Sydney Worldwide, he misplaced to Jarkko Nieminen within the semi-finals. As defending champion on the Australian Open, Djokovic retired from his quarterfinal match with former world No. 1 Andy Roddick.
After shedding within the semi-finals of the Open 13 event in Marseille to Tsonga, Djokovic received the singles title on the Dubai Tennis Championships, defeating Ferrer to say his twelfth professional title. The next week, Djokovic was the defending champion on the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells however misplaced to Roddick within the quarterfinals. On the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Djokovic beat Federer within the semi-finals, earlier than shedding to Murray within the ultimate.
Djokovic reached the ultimate of the subsequent Grasp’s occasion, the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on clay, shedding to Nadal within the ultimate. On the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, Djokovic didn’t defend the title he had received the earlier 12 months, shedding within the ultimate.
Djokovic was the highest seed at his hometown event, the Serbia Open in Belgrade. He defeated the first-time finalist Łukasz Kubot to win his second title of the 12 months. As third seed on the Madrid Open, Djokovic superior to the semi-finals without dropping a set. There, he confronted Nadal and misplaced regardless of holding three match factors. The match, at 4 hours and three minutes, was the longest three-set singles match on the ATP Tour within the Open Period. On the French Open, he misplaced within the third spherical to German Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Djokovic started his grass-court season on the Gerry Weber Open the place after the withdrawal of Federer, he competed as the highest seed. He is superior to the ultimate, the place he misplaced to German Tommy Haas. Djokovic then misplaced to Haas within the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.
Throughout the US Open Sequence, Djokovic made the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal earlier than shedding to Roddick. On the Cincinnati Masters, Djokovic defeated third-ranked Nadal within the semi-finals earlier than shedding within the ultimate to No. 1 Federer. On the US Open, Djokovic made the semi-finals, having dropped solely two units, defeating Ivan Ljubičić, fifteenth seed Radek Štěpánek, and tenth seed Fernando Verdasco earlier than being defeated by Federer.
On the China Open in Beijing, Djokovic defeated Victor Hănescu, Viktor Troicki, Verdasco, and Robin Söderling en path to the ultimate, the place he defeated Marin Čilić in straight units to win his third title of the 12 months. Djokovic then misplaced within the semi-finals of the inaugural Shanghai ATP Masters to Davydenko. On the Swiss Indoors in Basel, Djokovic defeated Jan Hernych to make it to the quarterfinals, the place he recovered from a deficit to defeat Wawrinka earlier than occurring to win his semi-final towards Štěpánek. Within the ultimate, he defeated house favorite and three-time defending champion Federer to win his fourth title of the 12 months. On the final Grasp’s occasion of the 12 months on the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, Djokovic received his first Master’s title of the 12 months by defeating Nadal within the semi-finals, earlier than outlasting Gaël Monfils within the ultimate.
Coming into the year-ending ATP Finals in London because the defending champion, Djokovic defeated Davydenko in his first round-robin match earlier than shedding his second match to Söderling. Regardless of the victory over Nadal in his third round-robin match, Djokovic didn’t make the semi-finals.
Djokovic ended the 12 months because the No. 3 for the third consecutive 12 months, having performed 97 matches, essentially the most of any participant on the ATP Tour, with a 78–19 win-loss report. Along with main the ATP Tour in match wins, he reached a career-best ten finals, successful 5 titles. Djokovic additionally performed a big position in selling Serbia to the 2009 World Group. On 6–8 March 2010, he performed a key position in bringing Serbia to the World Group quarterfinals for the primary time in its impartial historical past, successful every single match within the house tie towards the US towards Sam Querrey and John Isner.
2010: US Open ultimate, Davis Cup crown & World no. 2
Djokovic began his 12 months by taking part in the AAMI Traditional, an exhibition occasion. In his first match, he defeated Haas earlier than shedding to Fernando Verdasco in his second. On the 2010 Australian Open, Djokovic misplaced a five-setter to Tsonga within the quarterfinals. Regardless of the loss, he attained a career-high rating of No. 2 and went on to succeed in the semi-finals of the ABN AMRO World Tennis event in Rotterdam, the place he misplaced to Youzhny. On the Dubai Tennis Championships, Djokovic reached the ultimate, this time defeating Youzhny to win his first title of the 12 months.
Djokovic then took half in Serbia’s Davis Cup tie towards the US on clay in Belgrade and helped his nation attain its first quarterfinal within the Davis Cup with a 3–2 victory, defeating Querrey and Isner. On the Indian Wells Masters, Djokovic was misplaced within the fourth spherical to Ljubičić. On the Miami Masters, he misplaced in his opening match to Olivier Rochus. Djokovic then introduced that he had ceased working with Todd Martin as his coach.
In his first clay-court event of the 12 months on the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, top-seeded Djokovic reached the semi-finals with wins over Wawrinka and David Nalbandian earlier than shedding to Verdasco. Djokovic once more misplaced to Verdasco on the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, this time within the quarterfinals. Because the defending champion at his hometown occasion, the Serbia Open in Belgrade, he withdrew within the quarterfinals whereas trailing Filip Krajinović.
Djokovic entered the French Open seeded third. He defeated Evgeny Korolev, Kei Nishikori, Victor Hănescu, and Robby Ginepri en path to the quarterfinals, the place he misplaced to Jürgen Melzer in 5 units. Djokovic entered Wimbledon because the third seed, defeating Rochus, Taylor Dent, Albert Montañés, Lleyton Hewitt, and Yen-Hsun Lu en path to the semi-finals, which he misplaced to Tomáš Berdych in straight units.
Djokovic then competed on the Rogers Cup in Toronto, the place he misplaced to Federer within the semi-finals. Djokovic additionally competed in doubles with Nadal in a one-time, high-profile partnership. This had not occurred since 1976 when Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe as No. 1 and No. 2 paired collectively as a doubles crew. They were misplaced within the first spherical to Canadians Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil. Djokovic then misplaced Roddick within the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Masters.
Because the third seed on the US Open, Djokovic got here very near shedding in his opening spherical towards Viktor Troicki in excessive warmth. He then defeated Philipp Petzschner, James Blake, Mardy Fish, and No. 17 seed Gaël Monfils, all in straight units, to succeed in the US Open semi-finals for the fourth consecutive 12 months. There, he defeated Federer in 5 units after saving two match factors with forehand winners whereas serving to remain within the match at 4–5 within the fifth set. It was Djokovic’s first victory over Federer on the US Open in 4 makes an attempt and his first victory over Federer in a Main for the reason that 2008 Australian Open. Djokovic went on to lose to Nadal within the ultimate, a match that noticed Nadal full his professional Grand Slam.
After serving to Serbia defeat the Czech Republic 3–2 to make it to the Davis Cup ultimate, Djokovic competed on the China Open as the highest seed and defending champion. He received the title for the second successive 12 months, after defeating Maoxin Gong, Mardy Fish (walkover), Gilles Simon, and John Isner en path to the ultimate. Djokovic then defeated Ferrer within the ultimate. On the Shanghai Masters, Djokovic made a semi-final look, shedding to Federer. Djokovic performed his ultimate event of the 12 months on the ATP Finals in London. Djokovic was positioned in Group A together with Nadal, Berdych, and Roddick. Djokovic received his first round-robin match towards Berdych. He subsequently misplaced to Nadal. He defeated Roddick in his ultimate round-robin match and superior to the semi-finals, the place he misplaced to Federer in two units.
Djokovic went on to win his two singles rubbers in Serbia’s Davis Cup ultimate victory over France. This began an extended unbeaten run that went on into 2011. Djokovic completed the 12 months ranked No. 3, his fourth successive end at this place. He was awarded the title “Serbian Sportsman of the 12 months” by the Olympic Committee of Serbia and “Serbian Athlete of the 12 months” by DSL Sport.
Serbia progressed to the Davis Cup ultimate, following the victories over Croatia (4–1) and the Czech Republic (3–2). Serbia got here from 1–2 right down to defeat France within the ultimate tie 3–2 in Belgrade to win the nation’s first Davis Cup Championship. Within the ultimate, Djokovic scored two singles factors for Serbia, defeating Gilles Simon and Gaël Monfils. He was the spine of the Serbian squad, going 7–0 in singles rubbers to guide the nation to the title, though the distinction of successful the deciding rubber within the ultimate went to compatriot Viktor Troicki.
2011: Three Majors, 5 Masters & world No.1
Djokovic received ten tournaments in 2011, together with three Grand Slam event victories on the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Djokovic additionally captured a record-breaking 5 ATP Masters titles and set a report for essentially the most prize cash received in a single season on the ATP Tour ($12 million). He held a 41-match successful streak from the beginning of the season to the French Open semi-finals, when he was defeated by Roger Federer. His degree dropped towards the season’s finish, starting with an again harm sustained in the course of the US Open which prompted him to retire from the Davis Cup and ending with a poor displaying on the ATP Finals. Djokovic concluded the season with a 70–6 report and a year-end rating of No. 1.
Pete Sampras declared Djokovic’s 2011 season as the most effective he had seen in his lifetime, calling it “probably the greatest achievements in the entire sports activities.” Boris Becker is known as Djokovic’s season “one of many absolute best years in tennis of all time”, noting that it “might not be the most effective statistically, however, he is crushed Federer, he is crushed Nadal, he has crushed all people that got here round to problem him within the greatest tournaments on the earth.” Rafael Nadal, who misplaced to Djokovic in six finals on three completely different surfaces, described Djokovic’s performances as “most likely the best degree of tennis that I ever noticed.”Djokovic was named the 2011 ITF World Champion.
2012: Third Australian Open title & year-end No. 1
Djokovic started his season by successful the Australian Open. Within the quarter-final, he defeated David Ferrer in three units. Within the semi-final, Djokovic beat Andy Murray in 5 units after 4 hours and 50 minutes, recovering from a two-sets-to-one deficit and keeping off-break factors at 5-all within the fifth set. Within the ultimate, Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in 5 units, recovering from a breakdown within the ultimate set to win 7–5. At 5 hours and 53 minutes, the match was the longest Grand Slam ultimate in Open Period historical past, in addition to the longest match in Australian Open historical past, surpassing the 5-hour and 14-minute 2009 semi-final between Nadal and Fernando Verdasco.
Djokovic was crushed by John Isner within the semi-finals at Indian Wells. He efficiently defended his title in Miami. Within the Monte Carlo ultimate, he misplaced in straight units to Nadal. Djokovic additionally misplaced in straight units to Nadal on the 2012 Rome Masters ultimate.
Djokovic reached his maiden French Open ultimate by defeating Roger Federer, reaching the ultimate of all 4 majors consecutively. Djokovic had the prospect to turn out to be the primary man since Rod Laver in 1969 to carry all 4 main titles directly, having received final 12 month’s Wimbledon and US Open titles in addition to this 12 month’s Australian Open, however, was crushed by Nadal within the ultimate in 4 units. Following the French Open, Djokovic didn’t defend his Wimbledon title, shedding to Roger Federer in 4 units within the semi-finals.
On the 2012 Summertime Olympics in London, Djokovic was chosen because of the flag bearer for Serbia. On 2 August 2012, Djokovic defeated French fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and superior to the semi-finals, the place he was crushed by Murray in straight units. Within the bronze medal match, he misplaced Juan Martín del Potro, ending 4th. He successively defended his Rogers Cup title, dropping only a single set to Tommy Haas. Following the Rogers Cup, Djokovic made the ultimate of the Cincinnati Masters however misplaced to Federer in straight units.
On the US Open, Djokovic reached his third consecutive ultimate by beating fourth-seeded David Ferrer in a match suspended a day as a result of rain. He then misplaced the ultimate to Murray in 5 units. Djokovic went on to defend his China Open title, defeating Tsonga in straight units. The next week he received the Shanghai Masters by defeating Murray within the ultimate. With Federer’s withdrawal from the Paris Masters, Djokovic regained the No. 1 rating. On 12 November 2012, Djokovic received the 2012 ATP Finals by defeating Federer within the ultimate. Due to his achievements within the 2012 season, Djokovic was named the 2012 ITF World Champion in males singles by the Worldwide Tennis Federation.
2013: Fourth Australian Open title & three Masters titles
Djokovic started the 2013 season by defeating Andy Murray within the ultimate of the 2013 Australian Open to win a report third consecutive Australian Open trophy and the sixth main of his profession. Per week later, he participated in a Davis Cup match towards Belgium, the place he defeated Olivier Rochus to offer the Serbian crew a 2–0 lead.
On 2 March 2013, Djokovic defeated Tomáš Berdych within the ultimate of the Dubai Tennis Championships. One other stable week of tennis noticed Djokovic attain the semi-finals on the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, earlier than shedding to Juan Martín del Potro, ending his 22-match successful streak. The next week, Djokovic entered the Miami Masters because the defending champion however misplaced within the fourth spherical to Tommy Haas in straight units.
In April, Djokovic performed for Serbia towards the US within the Davis Cup quarterfinals. Djokovic clinched a tie for his crew by defeating John Isner and Sam Querrey. Later that month, he defeated eight-time champion Rafael Nadal in straight units within the ultimate of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters to clinch his first title in Monte Carlo. In Could, he was defeated by Grigor Dimitrov in three units within the second spherical of the Madrid Open in Madrid. The next week, he misplaced Berdych on the quarterfinal stage of the Rome Masters.
Djokovic started his French Open marketing campaign with wins over David Goffin, Guido Pella, and Dimitrov in straight units. Within the fourth spherical, he recovered from a set down and defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in 4 units. Within the course of, he reached a sixteenth consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final, which he received over Tommy Haas. Djokovic then misplaced to Nadal within the semi-final in a five-set epic.
Within the Wimbledon ultimate, Djokovic misplaced to Murray in straight units. On the Rogers Cup, he misplaced to Nadal within the semi-final in three units. Later, Djokovic misplaced to Isner within the quarterfinals in Cincinnati. Djokovic went on to succeed in the US Open ultimate, the place he met Nadal for the thirty-seventh time in his profession (a brand new Open Period report). He went on to lose in 4 units. In early October, Djokovic collected his fourth Beijing title by defeating Nadal within the ultimate in straight units. He additionally collected his second Shanghai Rolex Masters title, extending his successful streak to twenty–0 over the past 2 seasons on the arduous court docket Asian swing of the tour. Djokovic received his sixteenth Master’s title in Paris at the finish of the season, beating David Ferrer within the ultimate. On the 2013 ATP Finals Djokovic retained his trophy, beating Nadal in straight units. At the finish of the season, Boris Becker joined his workers as head coach.
2014: Second Wimbledon title & return to No. 1
Djokovic started the 12 months with a warmup event win, the 2013 Mubadala World Tennis Championship. On the Australian Open, he received his first 4 matches in straight units towards Lukáš Lacko, Leonardo Mayer, Denis Istomin, and No. 15 seed Fabio Fognini respectively. He met Wawrinka within the quarterfinals of the event, the second consecutive 12 months the 2 had met on the occasion. Regardless of getting back from two units to at least one down, Djokovic fell 9–7 within the fifth set, ending his 25–match successful streak in Melbourne, in addition to his streak of 14 consecutive Grand Slam event semi-finals. The week of 27 January marked the primary time since 2011 that Djokovic has not been a Grand Slam titleholder.
Djokovic additionally would play within the Dubai Tennis Championships however misplaced to eventual champion Roger Federer within the semi-finals. Nevertheless, Djokovic would avenge his loss to Federer, successfully his third Indian Wells Masters title, beating Federer within the ultimate. Persevering with his good run, he beat No. 1 Nadal within the ultimate of the Miami Masters in straight units. Affected by wrist harm that hampered him all through the Monte-Carlo Masters, Djokovic misplaced the semi-finals to Federer in straight units. After getting back from harm, Djokovic received his third Rome title by beating Nadal within the ultimate of the Italian Open. He subsequently donated the $500,000 in prize cash that he had acquired to the victims of the 2014 Southeast Europe floods.
Djokovic reached the ultimate of the French Open shedding solely two units in six matches however misplaced within the ultimate to Nadal in 4 units. It was Djokovic’s first defeat within the final 5 matches between each. On the Wimbledon Championships Djokovic defeated Roger Federer within the ultimate in 5 units. With this victory, he changed Rafael Nadal once more because the world No. 1. Djokovic performed on the Rogers Cup, shedding to eventual first-time champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight units. He adopted that with a loss to Tommy Robredo on the Cincinnati Masters. On the US Open, Djokovic reached the semi-finals, the place he misplaced in 4 units to Kei Nishikori.
Djokovic returned to Beijing with a fifth trophy in six years, defeating Murray within the semi-final and Berdych within the ultimate. The next week he was crushed by Federer within the semi-final of Shanghai Masters. He then received the Paris Bercy Masters title, without shedding a single set, beating Raonic within the ultimate.
Within the ATP Finals, Djokovic created a report by successful three round-robin matches with a lack of simply 9 video games. By reaching the semi-final, he additionally secured the year-end No. 1 rating for the third time, tying him with Nadal at fifth place. He was awarded the ATP Finals trophy after Federer withdrew earlier than the ultimate. This marked the seventh title of the season for him and the 4th title on the year-end occasion.
2015: One of many best tennis seasons of all time
Djokovic started the season on the Qatar Open in Doha, the place he received his first two rounds for the lack of simply 6 video games, nonetheless, misplaced within the quarterfinals towards Ivo Karlović in three tight units. He rebounded from this defeat nicely on the 2015 Australian Open, the place he made it by the primary 5 rounds without dropping a set. Within the semi-finals, he confronted defending champion Stan Wawrinka, the person who beat him the earlier 12 months. He twice misplaced a set lead, nonetheless, got here roaring again within the fifth to take it to like and arrange a 3rd ultimate towards Andy Murray. After splitting the primary two units in tiebreakers, Djokovic all of the sudden discovered his type after dropping his serve firstly of the third set, occurring to win 12 of the final 13 video games to report a four-set victory over the Scot, and win an Open Period record-breaking fifth title in Melbourne, overtaking Roger Federer and Andre Agassi. He moved into equal eighth on the all-time listing of males with essentially the most Main titles, tying Agassi, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, Ken Rosewall, and Fred Perry.
He subsequently competed on the Dubai Tennis Championships and misplaced to Roger Federer within the ultimate. After 2 weeks, Djokovic defeated John Isner and Andy Murray en path to his twenty-first Grasp’s title, beating Federer in three units in Indian Wells. In Miami, he defeated David Ferrer and John Isner en path to successful his fifth title defeating Andy Murray in three units. Along with his twenty-second Grasp’s title, Djokovic grew to become the primary participant to finish the Indian Wells – Miami title sweep thrice. In April, Djokovic clinched his second Monte-Carlo Masters by beating Tomas Berdych within the ultimate. Djokovic withdrew from the 2015 Madrid Masters. He received the title for the fourth time on the Rome Masters, making it 4 out of 4 titles in Masters occasions entered by Djokovic in 2015.
He continued his good type on clay on the French Open by reaching the ultimate without dropping a set within the first 5 rounds, together with a quarterfinal conflict with Nadal and a five-set semi-final victory over No. 3 seed Andy Murray which took two days to finish. This meant he grew to become solely the second man to have received towards Nadal on the French Open. Nevertheless, he misplaced the subsequent match and the event to No. 8 seed Stan Wawrinka in 4 units, after having prevailed within the first set and being up a break within the fourth set and up 40–0 on Wawrinka’s serve in a subsequent recreation. He misplaced six of the ultimate seven video games of the match. With this loss, Djokovic was denied his first victory on the French Open and a private professional Grand Slam. 5 weeks later, he rebounded once more from a troublesome loss in Paris, similar to 2014, coming from two units right down to beat Kevin Anderson within the fourth spherical, after which occurring to say his third Wimbledon title in his fourth ultimate on the All England Membership, with a four-set win over Roger Federer.
Previous to the ultimate Grand Slam occasion of the 12 months, Djokovic had the prospect to turn out to be the primary man in historical past to finish the complete set of Masters titles in Cincinnati and reached the ultimate for the fifth time, nonetheless, he was as soon as once more crushed by Federer, making it a fifth straight defeat in a Cincinnati ultimate. On the 2015 US Open, Djokovic reached the ultimate for the sixth time in his profession, reaching the feat of reaching all 4 grand slam finals in a single calendar of 12 months. Within the ultimate of the event, he confronted Federer as soon as once more, defeating him in 4 units to win his third grand slam title of the 12 months, his second title at Flushing Meadows, and his tenth professional Grand Slam singles title, changing into the fifth man within the Open Period to win ten or extra Grand Slam singles titles, in addition, to solely the third man to succeed in all 4 main finals in a calendar 12 months.
He returned to Beijing in October, successfully the title for the sixth time, defeating Nadal in straight units within the ultimate to carry his total report on the event to 29–0. Djokovic then reached the ultimate of the Paris Masters, the place he defeated Murray in straight units, taking his fourth title there and a report sixth ATP Masters event in a single 12 months. After shedding to Federer within the round-robin stage of the 2015 ATP Finals he took on the third seed once more within the ultimate. He beat Federer in straight units successfully in his fifth ATP Finals title and he grew to become the primary participant to win 4 consecutive titles on the occasion.
2016: ‘Nole Slam’ & ATP rating factors report
Djokovic collected his sixtieth professional title in Doha, defeating Rafael Nadal in two units in an ultimate that lasted 73 minutes. He broke his personal ATP rating factors report, bringing it as much as 16,790. Djokovic then proceeded to win his sixth Australian Open. On his highway to his Open Period report the sixth title in Melbourne, he defeated Roger Federer in 4 units within the semi-finals, and in a rematch of 2015 ultimate, he defeated Andy Murray, in three straight units. He shortly rebounded from an eye-fixed infection on the Dubai open to gather a fifth Indian Wells Masters title, defeating Rafael Nadal within the semi-finals, and Milos Raonic within the ultimate. Djokovic’s run was so dominant that Nos. 2 and three (Andy Murray and Roger Federer) may have mixed their factors and nonetheless not have had sufficient to cross him.
On 3 April 2016, Djokovic received the 2016 Miami Open for the third consecutive 12 months and did so without dropping a set en path to his sixth profession Miami Open title, tying him with Andre Agassi for many ever Miami Open males singles titles. As well as, 2016 marked the third consecutive 12 months that Djokovic swept each Indian Wells and the Miami Open, the primary male singles participant to ever try this. This was additionally the fourth time in his profession Djokovic received each Miami and Indian Wells back-to-back. His win within the Miami ultimate noticed Djokovic surpass Roger Federer to turn out to be the all-time main prize cash winner on the ATP tour with professional earnings of $98.2 million. After an early-round exit on the Monte Carlo Masters, Djokovic shortly bounced again by successful the Madrid title for the second time in his profession with a three-set victory over Murray. They met once more within the Rome Masters ultimate one week later with Murray the victor, regardless of a sluggish efficiency, Djokovic defeated Nadal and Nishikori in two lengthy quarterfinals and semi-finals.
Djokovic defeated Andy Murray within the ultimate of the 2016 French Open in 4 units, making him the reigning champion of all 4 main tournaments, a historic feat the media dubbed the “Nole Slam”. Along with his French Open triumph, Djokovic grew to become the eighth participant in historical past (and the second oldest) to realize a Profession Grand Slam, the third participant in historical past to carry all 4 Grand Slam titles on the identical time, and the primary participant to win $100 million in prize cash. Nevertheless, at Wimbledon, his main win streak got here to a finish within the third spherical when he misplaced to American Sam Querrey in 4 units. It was his earliest exit in a Grand Slam for the reason that 2009 French Open.
In late July, Djokovic returned to type by successful his fourth Rogers cup title, and thirtieth Masters title total, without dropping a set. In August, Novak was crushed within the first spherical of the Olympic males singles in Rio de Janeiro by Juan Martín del Potro. It was Djokovic’s first opening spherical defeat since January 2009, when Ernest Gulbis defeated him on the 2009 Brisbane Worldwide. Within the ultimate slam of the 12 months, the US Open, Djokovic superior to the ultimate however was defeated by Stan Wawrinka in 4 units. Djokovic was defeated by Roberto Bautista Agut and Marin Cilic within the semi-finals and quarterfinals in Shanghai and Paris. As a result of this consequence, he misplaced the No. 1 rating to Andy Murray. Nevertheless, a runner-up end on the ATP Finals indicated his finest efficiency in practically three months. After the season, he parted methods along with his coach of three years, Boris Becker.
2017: Break up with the crew and lengthy harm hiatus
In January, Djokovic defended his title in Doha defeating new world No. 1 Andy Murray in three units. On the 2017 Australian Open, he was upset within the second spherical by No. 117 Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan. This was the primary time since 2007 that Djokovic had failed to succeed in the quarterfinals on the Australian Open, and the primary time ever in his profession that he had misplaced to a participant ranked outdoors of the highest 100 in a Grand Slam event. In February and March, Djokovic performed on the Mexican Open and the Indian Effectively Masters, however in each occasion was eradicated by Nick Kyrgios, within the third and fourth rounds, respectively. In April, Djokovic reached the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters shedding to David Goffin. After the event, he determined to separate along with his long-time coach Marián Vajda, health specialist Gebhard Phil-Gritsch and physiotherapist Miljan Amanović, citing the necessity to discover a successful spark. A greater displaying on the Madrid Masters noticed Djokovic attain the semi-finals, shedding to Nadal in straight units. A runner-up consequence on the Rome Masters indicated stable enhancements in his type.
On 21 Could 2017, he introduced that Andre Agassi would turn out to be his new coach, beginning on the 2017 French Open. Nevertheless, because the defending champion, he misplaced at Roland Garros within the quarterfinals to Dominic Thiem in straight units. He ready for Wimbledon on the Eastbourne Worldwide, taking part in his first non-Wimbledon event on grass for the reason that 2010 Aegon Championships. He received the event, beating Gaël Monfils within the ultimate. This marked his first grass title outdoors of Wimbledon. He made it to the quarterfinals at Wimbledon earlier than retiring towards Tomas Berdych whereas down a set and a break, as a result of elbow harm that he stated had been bothering him for 12 months and a half.
2018: Surgical procedure, two Majors, again to No. 1 & the Profession Golden Masters
In January he received Dominic Thiem in straight units on the Kooyong Traditional exhibition event. On the 2018 Australian Open, the Serbian received within the second spherical towards Gael Monfils after which within the third spherical eradicated Albert Ramos Viñolas in straight units, earlier than bowing out in shut straight units towards Chung Hyeon from South Korea. In late January, he underwent a surgical procedure on his elbow. On 3 March, he introduced on Twitter he was again on the observe courts, and with just a little over one week of observing, he surprisingly performed Indian Wells, shedding within the second spherical to Taro Daniel. He later had one other second-round loss within the Miami Open, this time to Benoît Paire.
Reuniting with Marián Vajda, on the Monte Carlo Masters, he collected victories over Dusan Lajovic and Borna Coric, adopted by a loss to world no. 7 Dominic Thiem. In a press convention, he said, “After two years lastly I can play without ache.” After one other early exit, this time in Barcelona to Martin Klizan, Djokovic’s gradual return to type would present itself on the Madrid Masters. In his first win over a high 20 participant in 10 months, he defeated Monte Carlo Masters runner-up Kei Nishikori in straight units however didn’t progress previous the second spherical, shedding to Kyle Edmund in three units. Going into the Rome Masters with a 6–6 season report, he reached the semifinals, shedding to Rafael Nadal in straight units. He later reached the quarterfinals of the French Open shedding to Marco Cecchinato in 4 units.
He had a powerful beginning to the grass-court season at Queen’s Membership, securing his first win over a high 5 participant in virtually 18 months after defeating Grigor Dimitrov within the second spherical. He then defeated Adrian Mannarino and Jérémy Chardy without dropping a set to succeed in the ultimate place, regardless of having a championship level, he misplaced to high seed Marin Čilić. He additionally performed doubles partnering with longtime pal and rival Wawrinka.
Djokovic entered Wimbledon because the #12 seed. He defeated Tennys Sandgren, Horacio Zeballos, Kyle Edmund, Karen Khachanov, and Kei Nishikori to succeed in the semifinals, the place he confronted long-time rival, Rafael Nadal. Djokovic defeated Nadal 10–8 within the fifth set in a 5-hour, 17-minute match, unfold over two days. This match grew to become the second-longest semifinal in Wimbledon’s historical past, second solely to the match between Kevin Anderson and John Isner held earlier on an identical day. With this win, Djokovic reached his first main ultimate for the reason that 2016 US Open. He claimed his fourth Wimbledon title and thirteenth main title total by defeating Anderson in straight units after 2 hours and 18 minutes, successful the third set in a tiebreak after saving 5 set factors all through the set. With this win, he rose 11 rating spots and re-entered the highest 10 for the primary time since October 2017.
After a triumphant grass season, Djokovic began his North American hardcourt swing with a third-round displaying on the Rogers Cup, shedding towards eventual runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas in a 2-hour, 16-minute three-setter. Afterward, he returned to play the Cincinnati Masters for the primary time in three years. On an occasion suffering from suspended play as a result of rain, Djokovic defeated defending champion Grigor Dimitrov within the third spherical and Milos Raonic within the quarterfinals again to again in three units. Djokovic went on to defeat Marin Cilic within the semifinals in a fourth consecutive three-set match, organizing his sixth look within the ultimate of the event and fourth ultimate towards seven-time champion Roger Federer. Though Federer was using a streak of 100 consecutive holds of serve on the event, Djokovic went on to interrupt his serve thrice and win his first Cincinnati Masters title convincingly in straight units. With this victory, Djokovic grew to become the primary (and, as of 2021, solely) participant in tennis historical past to finish the profession Golden Masters—a feat achieved by successful all 9 ATP Masters occasions a minimum of as soon as in a single’s profession.
Djokovic was the #6 seed coming into the US Open. This was his first look at the US Open since 2016 ultimate. He defeated Márton Fucsovics, Tennys Sandgren, Richard Gasquet, and João Sousa to succeed in the quarterfinals, the place he was anticipated to face Roger Federer; nonetheless, Federer was upset by John Millman, who Djokovic then defeated in straight units. Djokovic is thus superior to his eleventh US Open semifinal in as many appearances. He overcame Kei Nishikori in straight units to succeed in his eighth US Open ultimate, the place he confronted #3 seed, Juan Martín del Potro. He defeated del Potro in straight units to win his third US Open title and second Grand Slam title of the 12 months. This win returned him to the highest 3 on the earth rankings for the primary time for the reason that 2017 French Open.
Seeded second on the Shanghai Masters, he defeated Jérémy Chardy, sixteenth seed Marco Cecchinato, seventh seed Kevin Anderson, 4th seed Alexander Zverev, and thirteenth seed Borna Ćorić in a decisive run. He didn’t drop a set nor have his serve damaged in the course of the event. This was his fourth title in Shanghai and his second Masters’s title of the 12 months. With this win, he overtook Roger Federer and returned to the #2 rating for the primary time for the reason that 2017 French Open. On 31 October, Rafael Nadal introduced his withdrawal from the 2018 Paris Masters as a result of stomach harm. Because of this, Djokovic reclaimed the World No. 1 rating.
On the Paris Masters, Djokovic was seeded second. He defeated João Sousa, Damir Džumhur, and fifth seed Marin Čilić to succeed in the semifinals, the place he confronted third seed, Roger Federer. They fought a decent three-set match, with Djokovic rising victorious within the third set tiebreak. Within the ultimate, Djokovic was upset by unseeded Karen Khachanov in straight units.
On the ATP Finals, Djokovic was seeded first, and drawn in Group Guga Kuerten. With the withdrawal of Rafael Nadal from the occasion, Djokovic has assured a fifth year-end No. 1 rating. Within the round-robin stage, he dominated his opponents, defeating Alexander Zverev, Marin Čilić, and John Isner without dropping a set. He is superior to the semifinals, the place he decisively defeated Kevin Anderson in straight units to succeed in his seventh ultimate on the event, and his sixth in as many appearances, the place he confronted Alexander Zverev. He was upset by Zverev in straight units. Nonetheless, his efficiency on the ATP Finals noticed him safe a virtually 1,600 level lead over no. 2 ranked Nadal. On the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, he scored victories over Karen Khachanov & Kevin Anderson to win the title. He ended the 12 months with 9,045 factors.
2019: seventh Australian Open title & fifth Wimbledon title
Primary article: 2019 Novak Djokovic tennis season
Djokovic’s first event of the 12 months was on the Qatar Open. He defeated Damir Džumhur, Márton Fucsovics, and fifth seed Nikoloz Basilashvili earlier than being defeated by seventh seed Roberto Bautista Agut within the semifinals.
Djokovic hoisting the 2019 Wimbledon trophy.
Djokovic entered the 2019 Australian Open as the highest seed. He defeated qualifier, Mitchell Krueger, 2008 finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, twenty-fifth seed Denis Shapovalov, fifteenth seed Daniil Medvedev, eighth seed Kei Nishikori, and twenty-eighth seed Lucas Pouille to succeed in the ultimate, wherein he beat 2nd seed Rafael Nadal in straight units to win his fifteenth Grand Slam and a report seventh Australian Open. Djokovic then performed on the 2019 Indian Wells Masters and reached the third spherical the place he was upset by Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight units. This was then adopted by a three-set fourth-round defeat to Roberto Bautista Agut within the 2019 Miami Open. Djokovic then started his clay-court season by taking part in the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters, shedding within the quarterfinals to Daniil Medvedev in three units.
Throughout the Madrid Open, Novak Djokovic celebrated the 250 weeks at world #1 in ATP rankings. He’s one in every of solely 5 gamers to realize 250 weeks at No.1, after Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, and Jimmy Connors. After beating ATP Subsequent Era participant Stefanos Tsitsipas in Madrid Open ultimate, Djokovic lifted the Madrid trophy for the third time and tied Nadal’s report of 33 ATP Masters titles. After heavy rain delays on the Italian Open, he made fast work of Denis Shapovalov and Philipp Kohlschreiber, adopted by a 3-hour slugfest victory over long-time rival Juan Martín del Potro. He completed the event with a runner-up & being the one participant to take a set off a rejuvenated Nadal.
He competed within the French Open, reaching the semifinals without dropping a set and recording wins over Hubert Hurkacz, Henri Laaksonen, Salvatore Caruso, Jan-Lennard Struff, and fifth seed Alexander Zverev. His fourth-round win over Struff made him the primary man to succeed in 10 consecutive quarterfinals at Roland Garros. Within the semifinals, he confronted 2018 finalist Dominic Thiem, who defeated Djokovic in a four-hour, five-set match that was interrupted by rain a number of instances and stretched throughout two days. This ended his 26-match successful streak in main tournaments and introduced him to seek for a second Nole Slam to a finish.
At Wimbledon, he received his sixteenth Grand Slam, defending his title to win the event for a fifth time by defeating Roger Federer in an epic five-set ultimate that lasted 4 hours and fifty-seven minutes, the longest in Wimbledon historical past. Djokovic saved two championship factors within the fifth set en path to successful the title and the match additionally marked the primary time a fifth set tiebreak was performed within the males singles of Wimbledon at 12 video games all. Djokovic then performed on the 2019 Cincinnati Open because the defending champion and reached the semifinal the place he misplaced to eventual champion Daniil Medvedev in three units. On the 2019 US Open, Djokovic was unable to defend his title, falling to Stan Wawrinka within the fourth spherical, after retiring as a result of harm while trailing by 2 units and a break. The defeat prevented Djokovic from successful three of the 4 Grand Slam occasions that 12 months, a feat that he achieved in 2011 and 2015. In October 2019, Djokovic defeated John Millman in straight units to win the Japan Open. On the Shanghai Masters, Djokovic reached the quarterfinal stage however misplaced to Stefanos Tsitsipas in three units. In November 2019, Djokovic reached the ultimate of the Paris Masters after defeating Grigor Dimitrov in straight units. Within the ultimate, Djokovic claimed his fifth title in Paris Masters after a two-set win over Canadian younger star Denis Shapovalov. Djokovic then performed within the Björn Borg group on the 2019 ATP Finals however was eradicated within the round-robin stage after a straight-sets win over Matteo Berrettini, a three-set loss to Dominic Thiem, and a straight-sets defeat to Federer (his first loss to Federer since 2015).
2020: ATP Cup crown, eighth Australian Open, double Golden Masters & sixth year-end No. 1
On the inaugural 2020 ATP Cup, Djokovic helped Serbia win the title by scoring six victories, together with wins over Medvedev within the semifinal and Nadal within the ultimate. On the Australian Open, he defeated longtime rival Roger Federer in straight units en path to the ultimate the place he defeated three-time grand slam runner-up Dominic Thiem in 5 units. This marked Djokovic’s eighth win on the Australian Open and seventeenth Grand Slam title, making him the primary Open Period male participant to win Grand Slam titles in three completely different many years. He additionally regained the world No. 1 spot within the ATP rankings. Djokovic then received the title at Dubai Tennis Championships fifth time, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas within the ultimate. In June, Djokovic examined optimism for COVID-19 in the course of the Adria Tour, a collection of charity exhibition video games within the Balkans, which he helped set up. Djokovic was criticized for holding the occasion with a scarcity of social distancing and different precautions taken towards COVID-19, though they have been organized in accordance with the measures issued by the governments. The final match of the tour was canceled after a number of gamers, their wives and coaches examined optimistic for the virus. Djokovic stated he was “deeply sorry”, admitting he and organizers “have been incorrect” to go forward with the occasion and that they believed the event met all well-being protocols. He additionally stated that most of the criticisms have been malicious, including: “It is clearly extra than simply criticism, it is like an agenda and a witch hunt”.
With the resumption of the ATP Tour, Djokovic made a historical past after defeating Milos Raonic to win his second Cincinnati Masters title. By doing so, he received his thirty-fifth Masters title, equaling Rafael Nadal’s then-record of most ATP Masters titles and finishing his second Profession Golden Masters. By reaching this feat, Djokovic grew to become the primary particular person in tennis historical past to finish a number of grasp’s units. Within the fourth spherical of the US Open, Djokovic was defaulted after by chance hitting a line official within the throat with a tennis ball throughout his match towards Pablo Carreño Busta. America Tennis Affiliation docked Djokovic all rating factors he would have earned on the event and fined him the prize cash that he would have received had the incident not occurred. On 21 September, Djokovic moved previous Pete Sampras for the 2nd highest variety of weeks spent because of the ATP #1 ranked participant.
Djokovic subsequently received a report thirty-sixth ATP Tour Masters title, his fifth in Rome, defeating Diego Schwartzman within the ultimate. Within the 2020 French Open, Djokovic misplaced in straight units to Rafael Nadal within the ultimate, solely successful seven video games. Djokovic then performed on the Vienna Open the place he was upset within the quarterfinals by Lorenzo Sonego in straight units, marking his first defeat towards a fortunate loser.
Within the ATP Finals, Djokovic misplaced to Daniil Medvedev in straight units however defeated Alexander Zverev and Diego Schwartzman in straight units to qualify for the semifinals. He then misplaced his semifinal match to Dominic Thiem in three units.
On 21 December, Djokovic reached his three hundredth professional week as the #1 ranked singles tennis participant, changing into the second participant in ATP’s historical past to take action, after Roger Federer.
2021: ninth Australian, 2nd French & sixth Wimbledon, double profession slam & report weeks at No. 1
Djokovic started his 2021 season by taking part in for Serbia because the defending champions within the ATP Cup, however, the nation was eradicated within the group stage regardless of Djokovic success each his singles matches. He then went on to win his 18th Grand Slam title and record-extending ninth title on the Australian Open, with a straight-sets victory over Daniil Medvedev within the ultimate. On 1 March, Djokovic equaled Federer’s Open Period report of 310 weeks at world No. 1. The next week, he surpassed that mark and has prolonged the report in his personal proper. Djokovic skipped the Dubai Open and the Miami Masters with a purpose to get well from a stomach tear he suffered in Melbourne. Djokovic subsequently performed on the Monte Carlo Masters, the place he defeated the Miami masters runner-up, Jannik Sinner, in straight units. Nevertheless, he ended up shedding his third-round match to Dan Evans in straight units. Djokovic then performed on the Serbia Open for the primary time since 2011 earlier than the event was suspended in 2012, defeating Kwon Quickly-woo and fellow compatriot Miomir Kecmanović earlier than shedding his semifinal match to Aslan Karatsev in three units. On the Italian Open, Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas and Lorenzo Sonego en path to the ultimate, the place he misplaced in three units to longtime rival Rafael Nadal.
At the French Open, Djokovic superior to the ultimate after defeating Rafael Nadal within the semifinals in 4 units. It marked Nadal’s second loss to Djokovic (and third loss total) on the occasion, together with it being the one-loss Nadal has suffered within the semifinals on the occasion. Djokovic then defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas within the ultimate in 5 units regardless of shedding the primary two units and have become solely the third man to win all 4 Grand Slam singles tournaments a minimum of twice after Roy Emerson and Rod Laver, and the primary to perform a double profession Grand Slam within the Open Period. He grew to become the primary man within the Open Period to win a Main after getting back from 0–2 insets in two separate matches, having carried out so within the ultimate, in addition to within the fourth spherical towards Lorenzo Musetti. With the win, Djokovic grew to become the primary and sole man to win each Main, ATP Masters 1000, and ATP Finals a minimum of twice.
Djokovic’s grass-court season started on the Mallorca Championships, the place he competed in doubles alongside Carlos Gómez-Herrera. The crew is superior to the ultimate, the place they withdrew earlier than the match as a result of harm to Gómez-Herrera. On the 2021 Wimbledon Championships Djokovic reached his tenth Wimbledon semifinal (third-most Wimbledon semifinals behind Federer and Jimmy Connors) and recorded a hundredth grass-court win of his profession by defeating Márton Fucsovics. He then defeated Denis Shapovalov to advance to his thirtieth Main ultimate, the place he defeated Matteo Berrettini to say his sixth Wimbledon title and equal Federer and Nadal’s all-time report of 20 Grand Slam males singles titles. It additionally marked his third career-year of successful three majors, after 2011 and 2015. Djokovic grew to become the primary man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon Championships in the identical 12 months. Djokovic additionally grew to become the fifth man to realize the “Channel Slam,” successful each the French Open and Wimbledon in the identical 12 months. Djokovic additionally grew to become the primary participant since Rafael Nadal in 2010 to win Majors on three completely different surfaces in the identical 12 months.
A possible victory for Djokovic on the 2021 US Open would see him obtain the calendar-year Grand Slam, a feat in males tennis solely but completed by Don Budge and Rod Laver and a possible victory for Djokovic on the US Open and Tokyo Olympics would see him obtain the Calendar Golden Slam, which solely Steffi Graf has completed.
Rivalries
See additionally: Huge Three (tennis) and Listing of tennis rivalries
Djokovic vs. Nadal
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have met 58 instances, together with in all 4 Grand Slam finals, an Open-Period report for head-to-head conferences between male gamers, and Djokovic leads 30–28. Djokovic leads on arduous courts 20–7, whereas Nadal leads on clay 19–8, and they’re tied on grass 2–2. They’ve performed a joint report of 17 Grand Slam matches (tied with Djokovic–Federer) and a joint report of 9 Grand Slam event finals (tied with Federer–Nadal). Djokovic is the primary participant to have a minimum of ten match wins towards Nadal and the one particular person to defeat Nadal seven instances consecutively (which he did twice). The 2 share the report for the longest Grand Slam ultimate match ever performed (5 hours and 53 minutes), on the 2012 Australian Open ultimate.
Within the 2011 Wimbledon ultimate, Djokovic received in 4 units, which was his first victory over Nadal in a Main. By doing so, he grew to become the one particular person apart from Federer to defeat Nadal in a Grand Slam event ultimate. Djokovic additionally defeated Nadal within the 2011 US Open Ultimate to seize his third main title of the 12 months and fourth total. By beating Nadal, Djokovic grew to become the second participant to defeat Nadal in a couple of Grand Slam ultimate (the opposite being Federer), and the primary participant to beat Nadal in a Slam ultimate on a floor apart from grass. In 2012, Djokovic defeated Nadal within the Australian Open ultimate which made Nadal the primary male participant to lose in three consecutive Grand Slam finals.
On the 2012 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in April, Nadal lastly beat Djokovic for the primary time since November 2010. They’d met in seven finals from January 2011 to January 2012, all of which Djokovic received. Nadal once more defeated Djokovic within the ultimate of the Rome Masters event.
On the 2012 French Open, Djokovic confronted Nadal within the ultimate. For the second time in tennis historical past, two tennis gamers performed 4 consecutive Grand Slams finals towards one another. Additionally, they grew to become the one gamers in the historical past, apart from Venus and Serena Williams, to have confronted the identical opponent within the ultimate of every of the 4 completely different Grand Slam occasions. Nadal finally received in 4 units after a number of rain delays that compelled the ultimate to be concluded on the next Monday afternoon.
In 2013, Djokovic defeated Nadal in straight units within the ultimate of the Monte-Carlo Masters to clinch his first title in Monte Carlo. This was his third clay win against Nadal. On the 2013 French Open semifinal, Nadal defeated Djokovic to up his report to twenty–15 towards Djokovic, and once more on the 2013 Rogers Cup semifinal. On 9 September 2013, Djokovic misplaced to Nadal within the 2013 US Open ultimate in 4 units. In 2014, Djokovic defeated Nadal in 3 units on the Rome Masters event to say his third title there. On the 2014 French Open, they performed within the ultimate, with Djokovic once more making an attempt to seize the Profession Grand Slam. Nadal received in 4 units to seize the French Open for the ninth time.
On the 2015 French Open, Djokovic lastly defeated the nine-time champion and five-time consecutive defending champion on the French Open, thus ending Nadal’s 39-match win streak at this event. He grew to become solely the second man in the historical past to have defeated Nadal on the event (after Robin Söderling in 2009), and the primary to take action in straight units.
At the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, the 2 confronted one another within the semifinals. This match grew to become their second-longest match and simply their third five-set assembly, stretching for five hours and 17 minutes over two days. Djokovic broke Nadal within the ultimate recreation of the fifth set to win 10–8, after saving three break factors at 7–7 which might have allowed Nadal to serve for the match. This was Nadal’s first defeat within the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the reason that 2009 US Open, and his first-ever defeat within the semifinals of Wimbledon.
On the 2019 Australian Open, Djokovic defeated Nadal in straight units within the ultimate. On the 2020 French Open, Nadal defeated Djokovic in straight units within the ultimate.
On the 2021 French Open, Djokovic beat Nadal within the semifinal in 4 units. In doing so, he grew to become the primary participant to have crushed Nadal twice on the French Open.
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have confronted one another 50 instances (not together with one event when there was a walkover in favor of Djokovic), and Djokovic at the moment leads 27–23. Djokovic leads on arduous courts 20–18 in addition to grass 3–1, whereas they’re break up 4–4 on clay. They’ve performed a joint report of 17 Grand Slam matches (tied with Djokovic–Nadal). Djokovic is the one participant apart from Nadal who has defeated Federer in consecutive Grand Slam event matches. Federer ended Djokovic’s 41-match successful beginning to the 2011 season on the 2011 French Open semi-finals. Nevertheless, Federer would lose to Djokovic within the following 12 months in straight units. Djokovic performed Federer in his first Main ultimate on the 2007 US Open and was misplaced in three units.
Djokovic has extra wins towards Federer than another participant. The 2 had three encounters on the Australian Open (in 2007, 2008, and 2011), wherein Federer received in straight units in 2007 and Djokovic received in straight units within the different two. The 2 have met 5 years in a row on the US Open with Federer triumphant of their first three encounters, whereas their final two conferences (in 2010 and 2011) have been five-set matches wherein Djokovic saved two match factors earlier than occurring to win. In 2012, Djokovic misplaced to Federer within the Wimbledon semi-final. Djokovic received the 2012 ATP Finals by defeating Federer in straight units within the ultimate. The 2 met once more in the course of the finals of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships with Djokovic rising victorious after a five-set match and with the victory reclaiming the No. 1 rating from Nadal. Federer withdrew from the ultimate of the 2014 ATP Finals and Djokovic efficiently defended his title, it was the primary ultimate walkover within the event’s 45-year historical past. Within the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, regardless of “a rare second-set tiebreaker wherein Federer saved seven set factors to degree the match”, Djokovic went on to say a four-set victory and even the lifetime report between the 2 gamers. The 2 met once more in one other Grand Slam ultimate in 2015, this time on the 2015 US Open, the place Djokovic defeated Federer in 4 tight units to say his second US Open title and tenth Grand Slam.
The 2 would additionally meet within the 2016 Australian Open semi-finals, the place Djokovic performed just about flawless tennis within the first two units to finally declare a four-set victory en path to capturing a report sixth Australian Open and his eleventh Grand Slam title.
On the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, Djokovic bested Federer in 5 units in a virtually 5-hour match.
Djokovic vs. Murray
Djokovic and Andy Murray have met 36 instances with Djokovic main 25–11. Djokovic leads 5–1 on clay, 20–8 on arduous courts, and Murray leads 2–0 on grass. The 2 are virtually precisely the identical age, with Murray being per week older than Djokovic. They went to coaching camp collectively, and Murray received the primary match they ever performed as youngsters. The pair have met 19 instances within the finals, and Djokovic leads 11–8. Ten of the finals have been Masters finals, and they’re tied at 5–5. Their most notable match on this class was a three-set thriller on the ultimate of the 2012 Shanghai Masters, wherein Murray held 5 championship-level alternatives within the second set; nonetheless, Djokovic saved every one of them, forcing a deciding set. He finally prevailed to win his first Shanghai Masters title, ending Murray’s 12–0 successful streak on the occasion. This, and the three-set match they performed in Rome in 2011, was voted the ATP Tour match of the 12 months, for every respective season. They’ve additionally met in seven Grand Slam event finals: The 2011 Australian Open, the 2012 US Open, the 2013 Australian Open, the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, the 2015 Australian Open, the 2016 Australian Open, and most lately, the 2016 French Open. Djokovic has received in Australia 4 instances and received on the French Open, whereas it was Murray who emerged because of the victor on the US Open and Wimbledon.
Djokovic and Murray additionally performed a virtually five-hour-long semi-final match within the 2012 Australian Open, wherein Djokovic received 7–5 within the fifth set after Murray led two units to at least one. Murray and Djokovic met once more in 2012 on the London 2012 Olympic Video games, with Murray successful in straight units. The 2 met within the ultimate of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, the place second seed Murray defeated Djokovic in straight units, the primary time since 2010 that Djokovic had didn’t win a set in a Grand Slam match. Within the ultimate of the 2015 Paris Masters, Djokovic triumphed in two units and has become the primary man to win six Masters tournaments in a single season. On 2016 Australian Open ultimate, in a rematch of the earlier ultimate, Djokovic received in three units and captured his sixth Australian Open title.
Within the 2016 clay court docket season, Djokovic and Murray met within the ultimate of the 2016 Mutua Madrid Open, the place Djokovic captured his record-breaking twenty-ninth Grasp’s title in three units. One week later, nonetheless, Murray comfortably beat Djokovic in straight units within the 2016 Internazionali BNL d’Italia ultimate, denying Djokovic his thirtieth Masters crown and interrupting his path to changing into the primary participant to interrupt by the 100 million greenback prize cash mark. On the apex of the clay-court season, the 2016 French Open, Djokovic and Murray met as soon as once more on the ultimate. Regardless of shedding the primary set 3–6, Djokovic went on to win the subsequent three units 6–1, 6–2, 6–4 and declare his maiden French Open title. This win accomplished Djokovic’s Profession Grand Slam and denied Murray his first French Open title. In November 2016, Murray beat Djokovic in straight units 6–3, 6–4, on the ATP Finals in London to complete the 12 months as No. 1.
Djokovic vs. Wawrinka
Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka have met 25 instances with Djokovic main 19–6, nonetheless, the 2 have contested quite a few shut matches, together with 4 five-setters at Grand Slam degree. Wawrinka and Djokovic have performed three consecutive Australian Open years, every match going to 5 units, and a five-setter within the US Open: within 2013 Australian Open fourth spherical, which Djokovic received 12–10 in a fifth set; on the 2013 US Open semi-finals, which Djokovic received 6–4 in a fifth set; and on the 2014 Australian Open quarterfinals, which Wawrinka received 9–7 in an in-depth fifth set. Wawrinka’s win broke Djokovic’s spectacular run of 14 consecutive semi-finals in Grand Slam play, ended a 28-match successful streak, and prevented Djokovic from capturing a report fifth Australian Open crown. Djokovic obtained revenge within the 2015 Australian Open, successful 6–0 within the fifth set, however, once more it went the gap. On the 2015 French Open ultimate, Wawrinka defeated Djokovic in 4 units to say his second main title. In 2015, Djokovic defeated Wawrinka on the Paris Masters. At the 2016 US Open, Wawrinka beat Djokovic in a Grand Slam ultimate for the second time. Affected by foot harm for the latter phases of the match, Djokovic misplaced in 4 units. He didn’t attribute his loss to the harm, however relatively to Wawrinka’s brave play at decisive moments within the match. Opposite to most high-profile rivalries, they’ve performed doubles collectively.
Regardless of Djokovic’s 19–6 total report towards Wawrinka, Wawrinka leads Djokovic 2–0 in Grand Slam finals and three–2 in all ATP finals. Throughout Djokovic’s run of eight appearances at Grand Slam finals from 2014 Wimbledon by the 2016 US Open, his solely two losses got here by the hands of Wawrinka. Furthermore, Wawrinka is the one opponent Djokovic has by no means defeated in a Grand Slam ultimate, and the one opponent outdoors the Huge 4 who has defeated him in a Grand Slam ultimate.
Djokovic vs. Tsonga
Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga have met 24 instances with Djokovic main 18–6. Their first assembly was within the ultimate of the 2008 Australian Open; Djokovic and Tsonga had defeated the highest two gamers, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of their respective semi-finals in straight units. Djokovic received this match in 4 units to win his first Grand Slam singles title.
Their subsequent assembly at a Grand Slam occasion was once more on the Australian Open, within the 2010 quarterfinals, precisely two years to the day since Djokovic defeated Tsonga to win his first Grand Slam singles title. Nevertheless, this time it was Tsonga who prevailed, successful in 5 units after Djokovic fell sick in the course of the match. It will be one other year-and-a-half till they met once more, with the stakes even greater – within the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2011, with the winner advancing to his first Wimbledon ultimate. It was their first assembly on grass, and Djokovic prevailed in 4 units to advance to his first Wimbledon ultimate, and within the course of ending the seven-and-a-half-year reign of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the high of the rankings. On the 2012 French Open, Djokovic and Tsonga met once more in a vital quarterfinals match, with Djokovic prevailing in 5 units after greater than 4 hours of play.
They met once more two months later on the Olympics, with Djokovic successful in straight units within the quarterfinals. They met within the ultimate of the 2012 China Open, with Djokovic as soon as once more victorious in straight units. The pair have been drawn in the identical pool for the 2012 ATP Finals. Djokovic defeated Tsonga in his first (of three) round-robin matches. It was Djokovic’s fifth win over Tsonga in 2012.
Their most up-to-date Grand Slam event assembly was within the second spherical of the 2019 Australian Open. Djokovic defeated Tsonga in straight units.
Djokovic vs. del Potro
Djokovic and Juan Martín del Potro have met 20 instances with Djokovic main 16–4. Djokovic received their first 4 conferences, earlier than back-to-back victories for del Potro on the 2011 Davis Cup and their Bronze medal match on the 2012 Summertime Olympics in straight units. Nevertheless, in 2013, Djokovic obtained the higher hand on the rivalry once more and received two of crucial matches between them thus far; an epic five-setter on the 2013 Wimbledon Championships semifinals which was the longest Wimbledon semifinal on the time, and an exciting three-setter on the 2013 Shanghai Masters ultimate. In the identical 12 months, del Potro defeated Djokovic en path to his second Masters ultimate, on the 2013 Indian Wells Masters, the place he misplaced to Nadal. Del Potro upset Djokovic within the first spherical on the 2016 Olympics in Rio en path to the ultimate, the place he misplaced to Murray. Djokovic defeated del Potro in three shut units within the ultimate of the 2018 US Open, which was the primary grand slam ultimate for del Potro since his victory on the 2009 US Open.
Legacy
Djokovic is taken into account to be one of many best tennis gamers of all time. Following his super success within the 2011 season, he started to function on all-time best lists, and, in late 2011, Rod Laver listed Djokovic quantity six in his high ten male gamers of the Open Period. In keeping with Tim Henman’s June 2012 assertion, Djokovic is “most likely a top-eight participant in tennis historical past”. Andre Agassi said in September 2012 that Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic “might very nicely be the best three gamers to ever play tennis”. In March 2012, modern competitor Andy Murray described Djokovic as ‘one of many best gamers ever. Following the 2013 US Open, in his September 2013 males best gamers of all-time listing, Worldwide Enterprise Occasions’ author Jason Le Miere put the then six-time Grand Slam-winning Serb in seventh place, behind Federer, Nadal, Sampras, Laver, Borg, and Agassi. In January 2014, ESPN author Howard Bryant known as him ‘arguably the most effective pure tennis participant on the earth’.
In April 2015, Henman provided one other touch upon Djokovic’s standing among the many all-time greats, saying “it is solely a matter of time earlier than he’s thought-about alongside Federer and Nadal as one of many best gamers of all time”. Having proclaimed him “one of many all-time greats” in November 2014, John McEnroe put Djokovic in all-time high 5 following his 2015 Wimbledon win, Djokovic’s ninth Grand Slam event title: “My high 4 are Laver, Sampras, Roger, and Nadal, however, Novak is at quantity 5 and rising”. Andrew Fortress said in January 2016 that Djokovic is “undoubtedly shifting in the direction of being thought-about the game’s all-time best participant”. In June 2016, a panel of greater than forty ESPN tennis analysts ranked Djokovic as quantity eight on their high twenty all-time mixed listings of each female and male tennis gamers; he was quantity 5 among the many males, behind Federer, Laver, Sampras, and Borg. Rod Laver stated in 2016 that Djokovic was tied with Federer as the most effective participant of all time. In February 2018, Djokovic obtained positioned No. 5 by Tennis.com of their listing of fifty best male gamers of the Open period, behind Federer, Laver, Nadal, and Sampras. In February 2019, WTA legends Chris Evert and Lindsay Davenport stated Djokovic will break the report for the grandest slam titles received in the historical past.
Some observers, tennis gamers, and coaches describe Djokovic as the best of all time as a result of the received trophies with victories towards the highest gamers and the most important rivals in one of many strongest eras of tennis. Presently, Djokovic leads the head-to-head report towards all members of the Huge Three and he has the best variety of Slams received beating a Huge Three-member en route. Moreover, he received on common higher-ranked gamers on the way in which to the Grand Slam trophies than Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Pat Money emphasized that Djokovic is one in every of two gamers who beat Rafael Nadal on the French Open, which he considers to be “the most important problem in tennis”. Richard Krajicek and The Roar, a sports activities opinion website, stated that Djokovic needs to be thought-about the best participant of all time as a result of he’s the one amongst his best rivals who have received 4 Grand Slams in a row.
Djokovic is broadly thought about to be one of many best returners within the historical past of the game, an accolade is given to him even by Andre Agassi, who was thought about to be the most effective returner ever. Although staying away from finest ever conversations, tennis coach Nick Bollettieri has regularly been praising Djokovic because the “most full participant ever” and the “most good participant of all time”
While you have a look at match gamers within the historical past of tennis, I do not imagine that anyone can equal all the things on the court docket that Djokovic does. I do not assume you will discover a weak point in his recreation. His motion, character, his return of serve, his serve, glorious contact, not hesitant in coming to the online, nice serve. Total, virtually every participant has a downfall; to me, he does not have one. He is maybe the most effective put-together participant that I’ve seen over 60 years.
Tennis pundits have categorized a lot of Djokovic’s matches as a number of the best contests ever, with the 2012 Australian Open ultimate being thought-about one of many best matches ever seen. Some longtime analysts declare that the Djokovic–Nadal rivalry ranks as the most effective rivalry in tennis historical past primarily due to the standard of matches they produce.
Enjoying model and tools
Djokovic is an aggressive baseline participant. His groundstrokes from each wing are constant, deep, and penetrating. His backhand is broadly thought to be probably the greatest in the present day’s recreation, as a result of its effectiveness on either side of the court docket. His finest shot is his backhand down the road, with a nice tempo and precision. He excels at returning serve particularly and frequently ranks among the many tour leaders in return factors, returns video games, and breakpoints received. After nice technical difficulties in the course of the 2009 season (coinciding along with his change to the Head racket collection), his serve is one in every one of his main weapons once more, successful him many free factors; his first serve is often hit flat, whereas he prefers to slice and kick his second serves broad. He has additionally led the ATP Tour of their profession “Below Strain Score” statistic, partially due to his prowess at successful decoding units.
Djokovic serving at Eastbourne Worldwide in 2017.
Djokovic has been described as one of many fittest and most full athletes in sports activities historical past, with excessive agility, court docket protection, and mobility, which permits him to hit winners from seemingly indefensible positions. Due to this, coupled with flexibility and size, he hardly ever will get aced. Todd Martin, who coached Djokovic between 2009 and 2010, famous that:
His athleticism is from one other world. His return of serve is meant higher than another return of service ever and I imply means higher. No one has gotten so many balls again and neutralized so many good serves.
Djokovic’s return of serve is a robust weapon for him, with which he could be each offensive and defensive. He’s extremely environment-friendly off each the forehand and backhand return, typically getting the return in play deep with tempo, neutralizing the benefit the server often has in a degree. John McEnroe considers Djokovic to be the best returner of serve within the historical past of the lad’s recreation. Sometimes, Djokovic employs a well-disguised backhand underspin drop shot and sliced backhand. His smash is taken into account to be one of every of his greatest weaknesses, being susceptible to creating errors on the shot in huge moments such because the 2008 Olympics.
Djokovic commented on the trendy model of play, together with his personal, in an interview with Jim Courier after his semi-final win towards Andy Murray within the 2012 Australian Open event:
I had a giant privilege and honor to satisfy personally in the present-day Mr. Laver, and he is likely one of the greatest, and best gamers ever to play the sport, thanks for staying this late, sir, thanks … despite the fact that it will really be higher if we performed a pair instances serve and volley, however, we do not know to play … we’re largely round right here [points to the area near the baseline], we’re working, you realize, across the baseline …
Coming into the professional circuit, Djokovic used the Head Liquidmetal Radical however modified sponsors to Wilson in 2005. He could not discover a Wilson racquet he appreciated, so Wilson agreed to make him a customized racquet to match his earlier one with Head. After the 2008 season, Djokovic re-signed with Head and debuted a brand new paint job of the Head YouTek Velocity Professional on the 2009 Australian Open. He then switched to the Head YouTek IG Velocity (18×20) paint job in 2011, and in 2013, he once more up to date his paint job to the Head Graphene Velocity Professional, which included an intensive promotional marketing campaign. Djokovic makes use of a hybrid of Head Pure Intestine (gauge 16) within the mains and Luxilon Huge Banger ALU Energy Tough (gauge 16L) within the crosses. He additionally makes use of Head Artificial Leather-based Grip as an alternative grip. In 2012, Djokovic appeared in a tv business with Maria Sharapova selling the usage of Head rackets for a lot of strategies comparable to golf and ten-pin bowling.
In assessing Djokovic’s 2011 season, Jimmy Connors stated that Djokovic offers his opponents issues by taking part in “just a little bit old-school, taking the ball earlier, catching the ball on the rise, (and) driving the ball flat.” Connors provides that loads of the topspin that Djokovic’s opponents drive at him come properly into his zone, thus his skill to show protection into offense nicely.
Teaching and private crew
Within the interval 2004 and 2005, Djokovic was coached by Dejan Petrovic. From fall 2005 till June 2006, he was coached by Riccardo Piatti, who divided his time between the 18-year-old and Ivan Ljubičić. The participant and coach reportedly parted methods over the latter’s refusal to work full-time with Djokovic.
From June 2006 till Could 2017, Djokovic was coached by a Slovakian former skilled tennis participant Marián Vajda. They met for the primary time throughout that 12 month French Open, after which Vajda was employed to be the 19-year-old’s coach. Every so often Djokovic employed extra coaches on a part-time foundation: in 2007, in the course of the spring hardcourt season, he labored with Australian doubles ace Mark Woodforde with particular emphasis on volleys and netplay whereas from August 2009 till April 2010 American Todd Martin joined the teaching crew, an interval marked by his ill-fated try to alter Djokovic’s serve movement. From early 2007 till 2017, Djokovic labored with physiotherapist Miljan Amanović, who was beforehand employed by Purple Star Belgrade, and NBA participant Vladimir Radmanović.
From fall of 2006, Djokovic had an Israeli health coach, Ronen Bega, however, the two parted methods throughout spring 2009. Djokovic determined to make a change after figuring out his conditioning as a weak point in his recreation following continuous losses to Nadal. In April 2009, forward of the Rome Masters, Djokovic employed Austrian Gebhard Phil-Gritsch (previously labored with Thomas Muster) to hitch the crew in a health coach capability.
In July 2010, earlier than the Davis Cup conflict away at Croatia, Djokovic made one other addition to his crew – Igor Četojević, a nutritionist and proponent of conventional drugs, who influenced Djokovic’s weight-reduction plan. A gluten-free weight-reduction plan appeared to have labored as Djokovic started feeling stronger, faster, and way more match. After Djokovic’s Wimbledon win in July 2011, Četojević left the crew.
After retiring from skilled tennis in August 2011, Serbian participant Dušan Vemić joined Djokovic’s crew as an assistant coach and hitting companion for Novak. The collaboration ended earlier than the 2013 US Open.
Six-time main champion and former world No. 1 Boris Becker, who had largely labored as a tv pundit for BBC Sport and Sky Sports activities since retiring from taking part in in 1999, was introduced as Djokovic’s new head coach in December 2013. In keeping with Djokovic, the Becker appointment was carried out with entering from the participant’s current head coach Marián Vajda who reportedly wished to spend extra time along with his household and was trying to have his teaching workload considerably diminished. For Becker, along with working alongside Vajda, the job entailed particular emphasis on Grand Slam tournaments as Djokovic felt he missed out on successful a few majors over the earlier two seasons as a result of a scarcity of psychological edge within the ultimate phases of these tournaments. Becker’s first event teaching Djokovic was the 2014 Australian Open.
On 5 Could 2017, Djokovic confirmed that he had come to a mutual settlement to terminate his teaching relationship with Vajda, in addition to Phil-Gritsch and Amanović. In a press release on his website, Djokovic cited the explanations for the personnel shakeup: “Novak and the crew members determined to half methods after an in-depth evaluation of the sport, achieved ends in the earlier interval, and likewise after discussing personal plans of every crew member. Regardless of the unbelievable cooperation to this point, Djokovic felt he wanted to make a change and to introduce new power with a purpose to elevate his degree of play.”
Djokovic reunited with Marian Vajda in April 2018 for the Monte Carlo Masters. On 30 June 2019, Djokovic confirmed that he additionally added former world No. 2 and Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanišević to his teaching crew.
Philanthropy
Kindergarten in Jalovik village was constructed by the Novak Djokovic Basis.
In 2007, Djokovic based the Novak Djokovic Basis. The group’s mission is to assist kids from deprived communities to develop up and develop in stimulating and protected environments. The inspiration partnered with the World Financial institution in August 2015 to advertise early childhood training in Serbia. His basis has constructed 43 faculties and supported virtually 20,800 kids and a thousand households.
He participated in charity matches with the intention of elevating funds for the reconstruction of the Avala Tower, in addition to helping victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake and 2010–11 Queensland floods. Beginning in 2007, he has established a convention of internet hosting and socializing with a whole lot of Kosovo Serb kids throughout Davis Cup matches organized in Serbia. Djokovic was chosen because of the 2012 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the 12 months, for his contributions by the inspiration, his position as a UNICEF nationwide ambassador, and different charitable initiatives. In August 2015, he was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Throughout the 2014 Balkans floods, he sparked worldwide monetary and media assistance for victims in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia. After successful the 2014 Rome Masters, Djokovic donated his prize cash to the flood victims in Serbia, whereas his basis collected one other $600,000. Following his 2016 Australian Open victory, Djokovic donated $20,000 to Melbourne Metropolis Mission’s early childhood training program to assist deprived kids. After the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds to Serbia in March 2020, he and his spouse introduced that they’ll donate €1 million for the acquisition of ventilators and medical tools to assist hospitals and different medical establishments. He additionally made a donation to Bergamo, one of many worst-affected provinces, in addition to Novi Pazar and Kosovska Mitrovica.
Sponsorships and enterprise ventures
Since turning skilled in 2003, Djokovic has been carrying Adidas clothes. At the finish of 2009, Djokovic signed a 10-year cope with the Italian clothes firm Sergio Tacchini after Adidas refused to increase his clothes contract (selecting as an alternative to signal Andy Murray). Tacchini does not make footwear so Djokovic continued with Adidas as his selection of footwear. His sponsorship contract with Tacchini was incentive-heavy, and as a result of Djokovic’s disproportionate success and dominance in 2011, the corporate fell behind on bonus funds, resulting in the termination of the sponsorship contract.
From 2011, Djokovic started to put on customized Purple and Blue Adidas Barricade 6.0’s footwear, referring to the colors of the Serbian nationwide flag. By April 2012, the Tacchini deal had fallen first quick after which aside. At that time, he was set to hitch forces with Nike, Inc., however as an alternative, on 23 Could 2012, Uniqlo appointed Djokovic as its international model ambassador. The five-year sponsorship, reportedly price at €8 million per 12 months, started on 27 Could 2012 in Paris’ Roland-Garros French Open Tennis Event. A 12 months later, Djokovic’s long-term footwear cope with Adidas was introduced forward of the 2013 French Open.
In August 2011, Djokovic grew to become the model ambassador of Swiss watch producer Audemars Piguet. Lower than a month later, Djokovic signed a sponsorship cope with German automotive firm Mercedes-Benz. In March 2012, Djokovic was introduced by Bombardier Aerospace as its newest Learjet model ambassador, thus becoming a member of the likes of actor and pilot John Travolta, architect Frank Gehry, maestro Valery Gergiev, and classical pianist Lang Lang. From January 2014 Djokovic has been endorsing French automotive producer Peugeot. At the identical time, he entered into an endorsement cope with Japanese watch producer Seiko, having simply ended his affiliation with their rivals Audemars Piguet. In early 2015, forward of the Australian Open, Djokovic teamed up with Australian banking company ANZ for a social media marketing campaign to lift cash for native communities throughout the Asia Pacific area. On the identical time his partnership with Jacob’s Creek, an Australian wine model owned by Orlando Wines, was introduced regarding the manufacturing and distribution of ‘Made By’ movie collection, a documentary-style content material meant to “present an aspect of Novak not seen earlier than as he recounts by no means earlier than instructed life tales from Belgrade, Serbia, celebrating what has made him the champion he’s in the present day”.
Since 2004, the enterprise finish of Djokovic’s profession has been dealt with by Israeli managers Amit Naor (former professional tennis participant turned sports activities agent) and Allon Khakshouri, the duo that additionally had Marat Safin and Dinara Safina as their shoppers. In June 2008, after the duo entered right into a partnership with CAA Sports activities, the sports activities division of Hollywood expertise agency Artistic Artists Company, that means that the well-known firm began representing tennis gamers for the primary time, Djokovic formally signed with CAA Sports activities. After Djokovic’s contract with CAA Sports activities expired throughout the summer season of 2012, he determined to change illustration, asserting IMG Worldwide as his new consultant in December 2012.
On 22 Could 2017, Djokovic was unveiled as a model ambassador of Lacoste after a five-year partnership with Uniqlo.
Investments
In 2005, as Djokovic moved up the tennis rankings, he started venturing into the enterprise world. Most of his actions within the enterprise environment have been channeled by Household Sport, an authorized entity in Serbia established and run by members of his fast household. Registered as a restricted legal responsibility firm, Household Sport initially targeted hospitality, particularly the restaurant enterprise, by launching Novak Café & Restaurant, a franchise-themed round Djokovic’s tennis success. Over time, the corporate, whose day-to-day operations are largely dealt with by Novak’s father Srdjan and uncle Goran, expanded its actions into actual property, sports activities/leisure occasion group, and sports activities attire distribution.
The corporate launched Novak Café & Restaurant in 2008 within the Belgrade municipality of Novi Beograd, the flagship location in a franchised chain of theme café-restaurants. Throughout 2009, two extra areas have been added—one in Kragujevac and the opposite in Belgrade, the town’s second, in September on the neighborhood of Dorćol overlooking the taking part in courts of Serbia Open whose inaugural version befell a number of months earlier. On 16 December 2011, a location in Novi Unhappy was opened, nonetheless, it operated simply over three years earlier than closing in late March 2015. Banja Luka in neighboring Republika Srpska obtained its Novak Café & Restaurant location on 16 October 2015 inside Lodge Trešnja on Banj hill.
In 2009, the corporate purchased a 250-series ATP event often known as the Dutch Open and moved it to Serbia the place it was renamed the Serbia Open. With the assistance of Belgrade metropolis authorities, the event’s inaugural version was held in Could 2009 on the city-owned ‘Milan Gale Muškatirović’ courts, positioned at a beautiful spot within the Dorćol neighborhood. The event folded in 2012 after 4 editions and its place within the ATP calendar obtained taken over by the Düsseldorf Open.
In Could 2015, proper after successful his fourth Rome Masters title, Djokovic launched a line of dietary meals merchandise, known as Djokolife. On 10 April 2016, whereas on the town for the Monte-Carlo Masters, Djokovic opened a vegan restaurant known as Eqvita in Monte Carlo. The restaurant reportedly closed in March 2019.
Skilled Tennis Gamers Affiliation
In August 2020, Djokovic resigned from the Gamers Council of the Affiliation of Tennis Professionals and shaped the Skilled Tennis Gamers Affiliation (PTPA) with Vasek Pospisil. The pair will function as co-presidents of the brand new group to advertise the pursuits of male tennis gamers above a rating of 500 in singles and 200 in doubles. Just like the ATP, girls gamers usually are not at the moment included within the PTPA.
In widespread tradition
All through the latter, a part of the 2007 season, most notably earlier than Wimbledon and through US Open, his comedic impressions of fellow modern tennis gamers acquired a lot of media play. It started when a BBC digital camera crew recorded some footage of the twenty-year-old impersonating Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal, Goran Ivanišević, and Lleyton Hewitt on a observe court docket at London’s Queen’s Membership Championships simply earlier than Wimbledon. The fabric — consisting of Djokovic imitating the stated gamers by exaggerating their trademark bodily gestures or nervous tics for the leisure of his teaching crew Marián Vajda and Mark Woodforde — aired throughout BBC’s protection of the event and subsequently grew to become widespread online. Two months later on the US Open, a cellphone video shot by Argentine gamers of Djokovic doing locker room impressions of Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Filippo Volandri, Nadal, and so on. made its means online, changing into viral. A number of days later, after beating Carlos Moyá within the quarterfinals, USA Community’s on-court interviewer Michael Barkann requested Djokovic to carry out some impressions, and the participant obliged by doing Sharapova and Nadal to the delight of the group.
Along with Novak, the surge of recognition for tennis within the nation additionally centered around three extra up-and-coming younger gamers: twenty-year-old Ana Ivanovic, twenty-two-year-old Jelena Janković, and twenty-three-year-old Janko Tipsarević as evidenced in early December 2007 when a sports-entertainment present named NAJJ Srbije (The Better of Serbia), put collectively in honor of the 4 gamers’ respective successes within the 2007 season, drew a capability crowd to Belgrade’s Kombank Area. In Could 2008, he was a particular visitor in the course of the first semi-final of the Eurovision Music Contest, held in Belgrade that 12 months. He threw a giant tennis ball into the group, asserting the beginning of the voting, and along with one of many present’s co-presenters, Željko Joksimović, Djokovic sang Đorđe Marjanović’s tune “Beograd”.
All through late April and early Could 2009, throughout ATP Grasp Sequence tournaments in Rome and Madrid, respectively, the Serb was a visitor on the Fiorello Present on Sky Uno hosted by Italian comic Rosario Fiorello adopted by an look on Pablo Motos’ present El Hormiguero.
Djokovic can be featured within the music video for the tune “Hey” by Martin Solveig and Dragonette. The video, filmed at Stade Roland Garros, reveals Solveig going through off towards Bob Sinclar, one other DJ, in a tennis match. When the referee calls an important ball “Out”, Djokovic enters the world and convinces the referee in any other case. In 2010, the Serbian blues-rock band Zona B recorded the tune “The Joker”, dedicating it to Djokovic.
Djokovic with Emir Kusturica in Andrićgrad in January 2014, the place he acquired Key to the Metropolis.
On 25 June 2011, on the Serbian Nationwide Protection Council’s seventieth congress in Chicago, Djokovic was unanimously awarded the Order of Serbian Nationwide Protection in America I class – the best ornament of the SND. The order was given to the twenty-four-year-old for his deserves on the worldwide sports activities scene and his contributions to the popularity of Serbs and Serbia all over the world. The day after successful his first Wimbledon title and reaching the No. 1 rating for the primary time in his profession, Djokovic went house to Belgrade for a homecoming celebration at the entrance of the Serbian Nationwide Meeting, an occasion attended by near 100,000 folks.
On 28 November 2011, after getting back from London the place he completed early as a result of failure to progress out of his round-robin group, Djokovic visited his childhood tennis coach Jelena Genčić at her Belgrade house, bringing the Wimbledon trophy alongside. The assembly, reportedly they are first in additional than 4 years, was recorded by two tv crews – a Serbian one taking pictures for Aleksandar Gajšek’s present Agape on Studio B tv and an American one from CBS tv community filming materials for Djokovic’s upcoming piece on 60 Minutes. The following day, 29 November 2011, on invitation from movie producer Avi Lerner, Djokovic was a part of the high-budget Hollywood film manufacturing The Expendables 2 in a cameo taking part in himself that was shot in a warehouse within the Bulgarian capital of Sofia. Nevertheless, his bit half was later reduced out of the ultimate model of the film.
In March 2012 he was profiled on the CBS present 60 Minutes by their correspondent Bob Simon. He was named amongst the 100 most influential folks of 2012 by TIME journal.
Djokovic has been a visitor on well-known late-night discuss reveals, comparable to The Tonight Present with Jay Leno, Veče an Ivanom Ivanovićem, Conan, Late Evening with Jimmy Fallon, Late Present with David Letterman, The Late Present with Stephen Colbert, in addition to The Ellen DeGeneres Present.
In April 2021, a crew of Balkan speleologists named a lately found freshwater snail species Travuniana Djokovic after Djokovic.
Views on weight-reduction plan and vaccination
Since 2010, he has been related with the nutritionist Igor Četojević who moreover focuses on Chinese language drugs and does acupuncture. He allegedly found that Djokovic suffers from gluten intolerance, utilizing utilized kinesiology and that he can not eat gluten, purging it from his weight-reduction plan. He finally settled on a vegan weight-reduction plan, whereas later generally consuming fish.
Following the elbow surgical procedure in 2018, he said that he tried to keep away from the operation and that ”he cried for 3 days” after it, feeling responsible.
Throughout the ATP Tour’s shutdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic, in a Fb stay stream with different Serbian athletes, Djokovic stated that he opposes vaccination and that he would not need to be compelled to take a vaccine so as to have the ability to return to the Тour. Djokovic later clarified his remarks by stating that he’s not particularly towards all types of vaccines, however, that he’s towards compelled vaccinations that use sure particular vaccines that he might not need, and that he prefers vaccines that have few unwanted side effects. He additionally admitted that he was not a professional on vaccines and that people who find themselves at the moment within the area of medication know extra about vaccines.
Religion and spiritual beliefs
Djokovic is a member of the Serbian Orthodox Church. On 28 April 2011, Patriarch Irinej of Serbia awarded Djokovic the Order of St. Sava I class, the best ornament of the Serbian Orthodox Church, for his contributions to monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija and charitable work in Serbia. He has stated that he admired and held in excessive regard Bishop Amfilohije, who performed a key half in serving to him by a troublesome time in the course of the Yugoslav Wars.
Djokovic has been reported to meditate for as much as an hour a day on the Buddhist Buddhapadipa Temple in Wimbledon as he appreciates the pure setting and serenity, and is near monks within the advanced. He has spoken of the optimistic energy of meditation.
The help of sport and sportspeople
Djokovic is a fan of Serbian soccer membership Purple Star Belgrade, Italian membership Milan, and Portuguese membership Benfica. He has additionally proven public assist for Croatia on the 2018 FIFA World Cup and when confronted with criticism from some inside his native nation of Serbia, Djokovic replied that “sports activities have their ‘common language,’ they erase boundaries between folks, overcome variations in faith, race, and nationality.” Djokovic has expressed admiration for Croatian soccer participant Luka Modrić, who performs for Actual Madrid. He’s good pals with fellow Serbian tennis participant Ana Ivanovic, whom he has identified for the reason that two have been kids rising up in Serbia.
Djokovic is a member of the “Champions for Peace” membership, a bunch of well-known elite athletes dedicated to serving peace on the earth by sport. It was created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based worldwide group.