Novak Djokovic
Новак Ђоковић
Novak Đoković

Nickname(s)	Nole[1] The Djoker[2]
Country	Serbia
Residence	Monte Carlo, Monaco
Date of birth	May 22, 1987 (1987-05-22) (age 22)
Place of birth	Belgrade, Serbia
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	80.0 kg (176 lb; 12.60 st)
Turned pro	2003
Plays	Right-handed; two-handed backhand
Career prize money	US$14,330,533
Singles
Career record	261–86 (75.2%)
Career titles	16
Highest ranking	No. 3 (July 9, 2007)
Current ranking	No. 3 (November 9, 2009)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open	W (2008)
French Open	SF (2007, 2008)
Wimbledon	SF (2007)
US Open	F (2007)
Major tournaments
Tour Finals	W (2008)
Olympic Games	Bronze Medal (2008)
Doubles
Career record	21–33
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 115 (November 23, 2009)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	1R (2006, 2007)
French Open	1R (2006)
Wimbledon	2R (2006)
US Open	1R (2006)
Last updated on: November 9, 2009.

Novak Djokovic (Serbian: Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, pronounced [ˈnɔvaːk ˈdʑɔːkɔvitɕ]  ( listen), born May 22, 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player, currently ranked World No. 3.

He won his first Grand Slam singles title at the 2008 Australian Open. After beating World No. 1 and defending champion Roger Federer in the semi-finals, Djokovic defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final, becoming the first player representing Serbia to win a Grand Slam singles title and the youngest player in the open era to have reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slam events.^[3]

He was the runner-up at the 2007 US Open and won the bronze medal in singles representing Serbia at the 2008 Olympic Games. He won the Tennis Masters Cup in 2008 and has won five Masters Series tournaments.

[edit] Biography

Djokovic was born in Belgrade, Serbia He was born to Srdjan and Dijana Djokovic, and is the eldest of their three sons.^[4] His two younger brothers, Djordje and Marko, are also tennis players with professional aspirations.^[5]

He started playing tennis at the age of four, and was spotted by Yugoslav tennis legend Jelena Genčić at the age of eight, who stated: "This is the greatest talent I have seen since Monica Seles."^[4] At 12 years old, he spent three years at Nikola Pilić's tennis academy in Munich, Germany, and at age 14, his international career began, winning European championships in singles, doubles, and team competition.^[4] He currently resides in Monte Carlo, Monaco and is coached by a former Slovak tennis player, Marián Vajda.^[6]

Djokovic is also known for his often humorous off-court impersonations of his fellow players, many of whom are his friends. This became evident to the tennis world after his 2007 US Open quarterfinal win over Carlos Moyà, where he entertained the audience with impersonations of Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova.^[7]

[edit] Tennis career

[edit] Early career

In the beginning of his professional career, Djokovic mainly played in Futures and Challenger tournaments, winning three of each type from 2003 to 2005.

[edit] 2006

Djokovic started the year ranked World No. 78 in singles. In May 2006, various reports appeared in the British media about Djokovic's mother Dijana reportedly approaching Britain's Lawn Tennis Association about her son joining British tennis ranks and the possibility of their entire 5-person family moving from Serbia to live in Britain.^[8] All the rumours didn't affect Djokovic's play, however. He soon reached the top 40 world ranking due to a quarterfinal appearance at the French Open, and a fourth round appearance at Wimbledon.

Just three weeks after Wimbledon, he won his maiden title at the Dutch Open in Amersfoort without losing a set, defeating Nicolás Massú in the final. Djokovic won his second career title at the Open de Moselle in Metz, and with this victory moved into the top 20 for the first time in his career.

At the US Open, Djokovic lost in the third round to former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt 6–3, 6–1, 6–2.

[edit] 2007

Djokovic began the year by winning the tournament in Adelaide, defeating Australian Chris Guccione in the final, before losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to eventual champion Roger Federer in straight sets. His performances at the Masters Series events in Indian Wells, California and Key Biscayne, Florida, where he was the runner-up and champion respectively, pushed him into the world's top ten. Djokovic lost the Indian Wells final to Rafael Nadal, but defeated Nadal in Key Biscayne in the quarterfinals before defeating Guillermo Canas for the title in the finals.

Djokovic played in the Masters Series Monte Carlo Open, where he was defeated by David Ferrer in the third round, and in the Estoril Open, where he defeated Richard Gasquet in the finals. Djokovic then reached the quarterfinals of both the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome and the Masters Series Hamburg but lost to Nadal and Carlos Moyà respectively. At the French Open, Djokovic reached his first Grand Slam semifinal, losing to eventual champion Nadal.

During Wimbledon, Djokovic won a five-hour quarterfinal against Marcos Baghdatis 7–6 (4), 7–6 (9), 6–7 (3), 4–6, 7–5. In his semifinal match against Nadal, he was forced to retire with back and foot problems.

Djokovic at 2007 US Open

Djokovic then went on to win the Masters Series Rogers Cup in Montreal. He defeated World No. 3 Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals, World No. 2 Nadal in the semifinals, and World No. 1 Federer in the final. This was the first time a player had defeated the top three ranked players in one tournament since Boris Becker in 1994.^{[citation needed]} Djokovic was also only the second player, after Tomáš Berdych, to have defeated both Federer and Nadal since they became the top two players players in the world. After this tournament, Björn Borg stated that Djokovic "is definitely a contender to win a Grand Slam (tournament)."^[9] However, the following week at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio, Djokovic lost in the second round to Moyà in straight sets. Djokovic nevertheless reached the final of the US Open. Djokovic had five set points in the first set and two in the second set but lost them all before losing the final to top-seeded Federer in straight sets.

Djokovic won his fifth title of the year at the BA-CA TennisTrophy in Vienna, defeating Stanislas Wawrinka in the final. His next tournament was the Mutua Madrileña Masters in Madrid, where he lost to David Nalbandian in the semifinals 6–4, 7–6 (4). Djokovic, assured of finishing the year as World No. 3, qualified for the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup but did not advance beyond the round robin matches.

[edit] 2008

Djokovic at the Rod Laver Arena during the 2008 Australian Open

Djokovic started the year by playing the Hopman Cup along with fellow Serbian World No. 3 Jelena Janković. He won all his round-robin matches and the team, seeded first, reached the final. They lost 2–1 to the second-seeded American team consisting of Serena Williams and Mardy Fish.

At the Australian Open, Djokovic reached the final without losing a set. Along the way, he defeated the top-seeded and defending champion Roger Federer in the semifinals 7–5, 6–3, 7–6(5). This ended Federer's streak of 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals. Djokovic also became the first person to beat Federer in straight sets in a Grand Slam tournament since Gustavo Kuerten at the 2004 French Open. At 20 years old, Djokovic then defeated unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final to earn Serbia's and his first ever Grand Slam singles title in four sets.

Djokovic's next strong result followed quickly with the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, where he lost in the semi-finals to World No. 6 and eventual winner Andy Roddick 7–6(5), 6–3.

Djokovic at the 2008 Pacific Life Open

At the Masters Series Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, Djokovic won his ninth career singles title, defeating American Mardy Fish in the three-set final.

On red clay at the Monte Carlo Masters, Djokovic retired from his semifinal match with Federer while trailing 6–3, 3–2. However, two weeks later, Djokovic won his tenth career singles title and fourth Master Series singles crown at the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome after defeating Stanislas Wawrinka in the final (4–6, 6–3, 6–3). The following week at the Hamburg Masters, Djokovic lost to Nadal in a three-hour semifinal match 7–5, 2–6, 6–2. At the French Open in Paris, Djokovic was the third-seeded player behind Federer and Nadal. Djokovic lost to Nadal in the semifinals 6–4, 6–2, 7–6(3) after a grueling match against Ernests Gulbis in the quarterfinals.

On grass, Djokovic once again played Nadal, this time in the Artois Championships final in Queen's Club, London, losing 7–6(6), 7–5. At Wimbledon, Djokovic was the third seeded player; however, he lost in the second round to former World No. 1 and eventual semi-finalist Marat Safin 6–4, 7–6(3), 6–2.

Djokovic then failed to defend his 2007 singles title at the Masters Series Rogers Cup in Toronto. He was eliminated in the quarterfinals by eighth-seeded Andy Murray 6–3, 7–6(3). The following week at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio, Djokovic advanced to the final after having beaten World No. 2 Nadal in the semifinals 6–1, 7–5, ending the Spaniard's 32-match winning streak. In the final, he again lost to Murray in straight sets.

His next tournament was the Beijing Olympics, his first Summer Olympics. He and Nenad Zimonjić, seeded second in men's doubles, were eliminated in the first round by the Czech pairing of Martin Damm and Pavel Vízner. Seeded third in singles, Djokovic lost in the semifinals to Nadal, the eventual champion, 6–4, 1–6, 6–4. This match was also noted for Djokovic's reaction after the match, because on match point, Djokovic missed a relatively easy smash. Djokovic then defeated James Blake, the loser of the other semifinal, in the bronze medal match 6–3, 7–6(4).

After the Olympics, Djokovic entered the US Open as the third seed. During his fourth round match with Tommy Robredo, he was plagued by both a hip injury, for which he required two time-outs, and exhaustion. Nevertheless, he won the match 4–6, 6–2, 6–3, 5–7, 6–3. Eighth-seeded Roddick later said in a press conference that Djokovic was "either quick to call a trainer or the most courageous guy of all time", insinuating that his opponent may be of the persuasion to abuse the trainer system.^{[citation needed]} After defeating Roddick, 6–2, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(5) in the quarterfinals, he was booed on the court during in a court side interview after sarcastically noting, "Andy was saying that I have 16 injuries in the last match; obviously I don't, right?" Djokovic later apologized to Roddick, saying that it was a misunderstanding.^[10] His run at the US Open ended in the semifinals when he lost to Federer 6–3, 5–7, 7–5, 6–2 in a rematch of the 2007 US Open final.

Djokovic played four tournaments after the US Open. In a rematch of the 2008 Australian Open final, he lost in the final of the Thailand Open to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets. In November, Djokovic was the second seed at the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai due to Nadal being unable to participate. In his first round robin match, he defeated Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro in straight sets. He then beat Nikolay Davydenko in three sets before losing his final round robin match against Tsonga 1–6, 7–5, 6–1. Djokovic qualified for the semifinals, where he defeated Gilles Simon 4–6, 6–3, 7–5. In the final, Djokovic defeated Davydenko again to win his first ever Tennis Masters Cup title.

[edit] 2009

Djokovic started the year at the Brisbane International in Brisbane, Australia, where he was upset by Ernests Gulbis in the first round. At the Medibank International in Sydney, he lost to Jarkko Nieminen in the semifinals. Djokovic would have risen to World No. 2 had he won the match.^{[citation needed]}

As defending champion at the Australian Open, Djokovic retired from his quarterfinal match with former World No. 1 Andy Roddick while he was trailing in the fourth set 6–7(3), 6–4, 6–2, 2–1, due to heat exhaustion, muscle cramps, and soreness.^[11] His retirement drew criticism from several players remaining in the tournament, including Roger Federer, who noted that Djokovic had now retired from matches in three of the four Grand Slam tournaments.^{[citation needed]}

After losing in the semifinals of the Open 13 tournament in Marseille to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Djokovic won the singles title at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, defeating David Ferrer to claim his twelfth career title. The following week, Djokovic was the defending champion at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, but lost to Roddick in the quarterfinals 6–3, 6–2. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, another ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, Djokovic beat Federer in the semifinals 3–6, 6–2, 6–3 before losing to Andy Murray in the final.

Djokovic during the 2009 French Open

Djokovic reached the final of the next ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on clay, losing to Rafael Nadal in the final. At the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, another ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, Djokovic was the defending champion, but again lost in the final after defeating Federer. This loss caused Djokovic's ranking to drop to World No. 4 on May 11, ending 81 consecutive weeks at the number 3 ranking.^[12]

Djokovic was the top seed at his hometown tournament, the Serbia Open in Belgrade. He defeated first-time finalist Lukasz Kubot to win his second title of the year.^[13] As third seed at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, Djokovic advanced to the semifinals without dropping a set. There he faced Nadal for the third time in five weeks and, despite holding three match points, lost 3–6, 7–6(5), 7–6(9). The match, at 4 hours and 2 minutes, was the longest three-set singles match on the ATP World Tour in the Open Era.^{[citation needed]} At the French Open, he lost in the third round to German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6–4, 6–4, 6–4.

Djokovic began his grass court season at the Gerry Weber Open where, after the withdrawal of Federer, he competed as the top seed. He advanced to the final, where he lost to German Tommy Haas.^[14] Djokovic also lost to Haas in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon 7–5, 7–6(6), 4–6, 6–3.^[15]

During the US Open Series, Djokovic competed in Montreal where he defeated Peter Polansky and Mikhail Youzhny to reach the quarterfinals before losing to Andy Roddick 6-4, 7-6(4). The loss was his third of the year to Roddick, and lowered his career head-to-head against Roddick to 2-4. Djokovic defeated World No. 3 Rafael Nadal (seeded No. 2 in the tournament) in the semi-finals to reach his second consecutive Cincinnati Masters final where he lost to World No. 1 Roger Federer 6-1, 7-5.

Djokovic reached the semifinals of the 2009 US Open, defeating Ivan Ljubicic, Carsten Ball, Jesse Witten, Radek Stepanek and Fernando Verdasco en route. He met Roger Federer in the semifinals and lost in three hard-fought sets, 7-6 7-5 7-5.

Djokovic competed at the 2009 China Open as the second seed. He defeated Victor Hănescu, Viktor Troicki, Fernando Verdasco and Robin Söderling en route to the final, where he defeated eigthth seed Marin Cilic in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6 to win his third title of the year.^[16] Djokovic regained the World No. 3 ranking on October 19th, as a result of his performance at this tournament, and Andy Murray's withdrawal from the 2009 Shanghai Masters.

Djokovic competed at the 2009 Shanghai Masters as the second seed but lost in the semifinals to sixth seed and eventual champion Nikolay Davydenko 6-4, 4-6, 6-7(1) in just over 3 hours. Djokovic then participated at the 2009 Basel Tournament, in the Switzerland as the second seed. He double-bageled Jan Hernych in the second round to make it to the quarterfinals. This was his first recorded double-bagel. He then recovered from a set and break deficit to defeat Stanislas Wawrinka 3-6, 7-6(5), 6-2. Then in the semifinals, he saved three match points to defeat Radek Stepanek 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-2. In the finals he defeated three-time defending champion Roger Federer 6-4, 4-6, 6-2.^[17] With this win, Djokovic remained a perfect 15-0 at ATP World 500 tournaments in 2009.

After losing in four Masters finals during the season, Djokovic finally prevailed by winning the 2009 BNP Paribas Masters. He defeated Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the semi-finals, and held off several comebacks from Gaël Monfils in the final to take it in the deciding third set tiebreaker, 6-2 5-7 7-6(3).

[edit] Davis Cup

In 2006, Djokovic got the decisive win on April 9, 2006 against Great Britain by defeating Greg Rusedski in four sets in the fourth match, giving his team a 3–1 lead in their best of 5 series, thus keeping Serbia and Montenegro in the Group One Euro/African Zone of Davis Cup. Following this match-up a lot of media buzz appeared about Djokovic's camp negotiating with Tennis Lawn Association about changing his international loyalty by joining British tennis ranks.^[18] Nineteen-year-old Djokovic, who was #63 on the ATP list at the time, mostly dismissed the story at first by saying that the talks were not serious, describing them as "the British being very kind to us after the Davis Cup"^[19] However, more than 3 years later, in October 2009, Djokovic confirmed that the talks between his family and the LTA throughout April and May 2006 were indeed serious: "Britain was offering me a lot of opportunities and they needed someone because Andy [Murray] was the only one, and still is. That had to be a disappointment for all the money they invest. But I didn’t need the money as much as I had done. I had begun to make some for myself, enough to afford to travel with a coach, and I said, ‘Why the heck?’ I am Serbian, I am proud of being a Serbian, I didn’t want to spoil that just because another country had better conditions. If I had played for Great Britain, of course I would have played exactly as I do for my country but deep inside, I would never have felt that I belonged. I was the one who took the decision".^[20]

Djokovic has represented Serbia since Montenegro gained independence in June 2006. By winning all three of his matches, Djokovic played a key role in the 2007 play-off win over Australia, promoting Serbia to World Group in 2008. In Serbia's tie against Russia in early 2008 in Moscow, Djokovic was sidelined due to influenza and was forced to miss his first singles match. He returned to win his doubles match, teaming with Nenad Zimonjić, before being forced to retire during his singles match with Nikolay Davydenko. Djokovic also had a big role in promoting Serbia to the 2009 World Group.

[edit] Playing style

Djokovic is an all-court player with emphasis on offensive baseline play.^{[citation needed]} His greatest strengths are his groundstrokes, serve and defense.^[21] He is consistent off both wings, although his backhand is his preferred stroke.^[21] With considerable speed, his serve is one of his major weapons, winning many free points; his first serve is typically hit very flat,^{[citation needed]} while he prefers to slice his second serves wide.^[22] He also utilizes a well-disguised backhand underspin drop shot and sliced backhand.^{[citation needed]} His use of the one-handed backhand drop shot is unusual for players who usually use a two-handed backhand to rally from the baseline. It is very effective. ^[23]

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] See also

• Tennis performance timeline comparison (men)
• Serbia Davis Cup team

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Novak Đoković

• Official site (English)
• Official site (Serbian)
• Novak Djokovic at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Novak Djokovic at the International Tennis Federation
• Novak Djokovic at Davis Cup
• Novak Djokovic at Flickr--turn pro until now

v • d • e Association of Tennis Professionals: Top ten Serbian male singles tennis players as of November 2, 2009 1. Novak Djokovic (3 ▬) 2. Viktor Troicki (29 ▲ 2) 3. Janko Tipsarević (39 ▲ 7) 4. Ilija Bozoljac (205 ▼ 20) 5. Filip Krajinović (267 ▲ 6) 6. Boris Pašanski (321 ▬) 7. Nikola Ćirić (364 ▲ 33) 8. David Savić (368 ▬) 9. Aleksander Slović (558 ▲ 9) 10. Vladimir Obradović (566 ▲ 9)