Djokovic, Novak

Novak Djokovic is a tennis player from Belgrade, Serbia. He represents Serbia in team competitions, and is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. His nickname is “Nole” – giving rise to the Novak Djokovic twitter profile “DjokerNole”.

In 2016 Djokovic became the eighth player ever to complete the career grand slam, having won all four major titles. These titles are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. He also became the third man to hold all four major titles at once and the first since Rod Laver in 1969. He is also the first ever man to hold major titles on three different surfaces.

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic was born in Belgrade on 22 May, 1987 to Srdan Djokovic and Dijana (nee Zagar). His father is of Montenegrin origin while his mother is of Croatian background, however Djokovic considers himself a Serb. He has two younger brothers Marko and Djordje are also tennis players.

He began playing tennis at the age of four. In the summer of 1993, he was spotted by Yugoslav tennis player Jelena Gencic at Mount Kopaonik, where his parents ran a fast-food restaurant. Gencic said when she saw Djokovic play that he was the greatest talent she had seen since Monica Seles.

Gencic worked with Djokovic until he was 12 when she realised his rapid development meant he would be better served by moving abroad to train. Djokovic went to the Pilic tennis academy in Oberschleissheim in Germany, spending four years there. He began his international career at 14, winning European Championships in singles, doubles and team competition.

Novak Djokovic Professional Career

By the end of the 2016 season, Djokovic has won 66 career titles, 12 grand slams and 5 year-end Championships. He has won over $100million in prize money throughout his career.

Novak Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title in Australia in 2008, defeating the unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win the final. This was the first Grand Slam singles title since the 2005 not won by Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. He won three more Grand Slams in 2011, winning in Australia, at Wimbledon and the US Open. However, he didn’t complete his career grand slam until 2016 when he finally won the French Open having reached the final on three prior occasions.

Djokovic is a right-handed player with a two-handed backhand. He has used numerous coaches over the years but his two most successful are Marian Vajda who has coached him since 2006 and Boris Becker who has been with Djokovic since 2013.

Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer is one of the biggest rivalries in modern tennis. By the end of the 2016 tennis season, they had met each other 45 times, with Djokovic leading 23-22. This includes a record 15 Grand Slam matches – four of which were finals and a record 10 semi-finals. Both players have beaten each other in each of the four grand slam tournaments.

They are a very evenly matched rivalry, with either able to beat the other on any given day, on any surface. Federer is currently the only person to have beaten Djokovic in all four majors, and likewise Djokovic is the only person to have beaten Federer in all four majors.

The first time they met each other in the majors was the 2007 Australian Open 4th round, when Federer won in straight sets – going on to win the tournament without dropping a set. They met the next year in a rematch in the 2008 Australian Open Semi-Final where Djokovic won in straight sets.

Novak Djokovic also has significant rivalries with Andy Murray, where they have met 35 times with Djokovic leading 24-11 and Stanislaw Wawrinka which Djokovic leads 19-5.

Novak Djokovic Wife

Novak Djokovic met his wife Jelena Ristic in high school, and started dating her in 2005. They got engaged in September 2013 and were married on Sveti Stefan in Montenegro on 10 July 2014, with a church wedding held two days later. Their first son, Stefan was born in October 2014.

Jelena runs the Novak Djokovic Foundation. The organisation has a mission to help children from disadvantaged communities to grow up and develop in stimulating and safe environments.