Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic

Djokovic hoisting the 2019 Wimbledon trophy
Native name	Новак Ђоковић Novak Đoković
Country (sports)	Serbia
Residence	Belgrade, Serbia Monte Carlo, Monaco
Born	(1987-05-22) 22 May 1987 (age 37) Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia (now Serbia)
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1][2]
Turned pro	2003
Plays	Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$182,494,969[3] (All-time leader in earnings)
Official website	novakdjokovic.com
Singles
Career record	1105–219 (83.5%)[a]
Career titles	98 (3rd in the Open Era)
Highest ranking	No. 1 (4 July 2011)
Current ranking	No. 3 (10 June 2024)[4]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023)
French Open	W (2016, 2021, 2023)
Wimbledon	W (2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)
US Open	W (2011, 2015, 2018, 2023)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals	W (2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2023)
Olympic Games	(2008)
Doubles
Career record	63–80 (44.1%)[b]
Career titles	1
Highest ranking	No. 114 (30 November 2009)[5]
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	1R (2006, 2007)
French Open	1R (2006)
Wimbledon	2R (2006)
US Open	1R (2006)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	2R (2016)
Other mixed doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	SF – 4th (2020)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (2010)
Hopman Cup	F (2008, 2013)
President of the ATP Player Council
In office 30 August 2016 – 30 August 2020
Vice President	Kevin Anderson
Preceded by	Eric Butorac
Succeeded by	Kevin Anderson
Signature
Last updated on: 10 June 2024.

Novak Djokovic (Serbian: Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, pronounced [nôʋaːk dʑôːkoʋitɕ] ^ⓘ;^[6] born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 3 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Djokovic has been ranked No. 1 for a record total of 428 weeks in a record 13 different years, and finished as the year-end No. 1 a record eight times.^[7] Djokovic has won a record 24 Grand Slam men's singles titles, including a record ten Australian Open titles. Overall, he has won 98 singles titles, including a record 71 Big Titles: 24 majors, a record 40 Masters, and a record seven ATP Finals. Djokovic is the only man in tennis history to be the reigning champion of all four majors at once across three different surfaces. In singles, he is the only man to achieve a triple Career Grand Slam, and the only player to complete a career Golden Masters, a feat he has achieved twice.

Djokovic began his professional career in 2003. In 2008, at age 20, he disrupted Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's streak of 11 consecutive majors by winning his first major title at the Australian Open. By 2010, Djokovic had begun to separate himself from the rest of the field and, as a result, the trio of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic was referred to as the "Big Three" among fans and commentators. In 2011, Djokovic ascended to No. 1 for the first time, winning three majors and a then-record five Masters titles while going 10–1 against Nadal and Federer. He remained the most successful player in men's tennis for the rest of the decade.^[8] In 2015, Djokovic had his most successful season, reaching a single-season record 15 consecutive finals, winning a season-record 10 Big Titles while having a record 31 victories over the top-10 players.^[9] His dominant run extended through to the 2016 French Open, where he completed his first Career Grand Slam and a non-calendar year Grand Slam, becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four majors simultaneously^[10] and setting a rankings points record of 16,950. In 2017, Djokovic suffered from an elbow injury that weakened his results until the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, where he won the title while ranked No. 21 in the world. Djokovic has continued to be a dominant force on the tour since then, winning 12 major titles and completing his second and third Career Grand Slams. Due to his opposition to COVID-19 vaccine, Djokovic was forced to skip many tournaments in 2022,^[11] notably the Australian Open and the US Open; two major events he was the favourite to win.^[12][13] One year after the Australian visa controversy, Djokovic made a successful comeback to reclaim the 2023 Australian Open trophy,^[14] and shortly after he claimed the French Open to take the outright record for most men's singles majors won in history.^[15]

Representing Serbia, Djokovic led the national tennis team to its first Davis Cup title in 2010, and to the inaugural ATP Cup title in 2020. He also won the bronze medal for his country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Djokovic is a recipient of the Order of Karađorđe's Star, Order of St. Sava, and the Order of the Republika Srpska. His other awards include being named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year a joint-record five times (2012, 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2024) and the 2011 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year.^[16][17]

Beyond competition, Djokovic was elected as the president of the ATP Player Council in 2016. He stepped down in 2020 to front a new player-only tennis association; the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) founded by him and Vasek Pospisil, citing the need for players to have more influence on the tour and advocating better prize money structure for lower ranked players.^[18][19] Djokovic is an active philanthropist. He is the founder of Novak Djokovic Foundation, which is committed to supporting children from disadvantaged communities.^[20] Djokovic was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2015.^[21]

Early and personal life

Novak Djokovic was born on 22 May 1987 in Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia, to Dijana (née Žagar) and Srdjan Djokovic. He is of paternal Serbian and maternal Croatian descent.^[22] His two younger brothers, Marko and Djordje, have also played professional tennis.^[23]

Djokovic began playing tennis at the age of four,^[23] after his parents gave him a mini-racket and a soft foam ball, which his father said became "the most beloved toy in his life".^[24] His parents then sent him to a tennis camp in Novi Sad.^[24][25] In the summer of 1993, as a six-year-old, he was sent to a tennis camp organized by the Teniski Klub Partizan and overseen by Yugoslav tennis player Jelena Genčić^[25][26] at Mount Kopaonik, where Djokovic's parents ran a fast-food parlour.^[24][27][28] Genčić worked with Djokovic over the following six years, convincing him to hit his backhand with two hands instead of the single hand used by his idol, Pete Sampras.^[2][29][30] Djokovic has credited Genčić for "shaping my mind as a human being, but also as a professional".^[31][32]

During the Yugoslav Wars in the late 1990s, Serbia had to endure embargoes^[32] and NATO bombings^[23][27][29] because of the Kosovo War.^[23][33] At one point he had to train inside a disused swimming pool converted into a tennis court.^[34] Due to his rapid development, Genčić contacted Nikola Pilić and in September 1999 Djokovic moved to the Pilić tennis academy in Oberschleißheim, Germany, spending four years there.^[2][27][35] Pilić made him serve against a wall for several months to improve his technique, and he had him working with a rubber exercise band for a year to improve flexibility in his wrist.^[27] One of the players he trained with at the Niki Pilić academy was future world No. 10 Ernests Gulbis, with whom he allegedly had a fiery rivalry.^[36][37]

His father also took him to train at academies in the United States, Italy and Germany.^[24] Because of the high cost of traveling and training his father took out high-interest loans to help pay for his son's tennis education, putting Djokovic under immense pressure to deliver.^[24][27][29] He believes the impact this had on him could be the reason behind his prowess under pressure.^[25][27]

He met his future wife, Jelena Ristić, in high school, and began dating her in 2005.^[38] The two became engaged in September 2013,^[39] and on 10 July 2014 the couple were married on Sveti Stefan in Montenegro.^[40][41] He and Ristić had their first child, a boy, in October 2014.^[42][43] Their daughter was born in 2017.^[44]

Djokovic is a self-described fan of languages, speaking Serbian, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Japanese and Spanish to varying levels of proficiency.^{[45][46][47][48]}

Tennis career

Djokovic began his tennis career in the early 2000s, excelling in the junior circuit by winning numerous titles, including the ETA Junior Tour and ITF tournaments. Djokovic achieved a combined junior world ranking of No. 24 and reached the semifinals of the Australian Open junior event in 2004.

In 2003, Djokovic transitioned to professional tennis, gaining his first ATP ranking. By 2005, he made his Grand Slam debut and reached significant rounds in major tournaments, finishing the year ranked No. 78. In 2006, Djokovic won his first ATP titles and reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal. The following year, he won his first Masters titles and reached his first Grand Slam final, breaking into the top 3.

Djokovic's career saw significant milestones between 2008 and 2010. He won his first Grand Slam title at the 2008 Australian Open and consistently performed well in Masters and Grand Slam tournaments. By 2010, he helped Serbia win the Davis Cup and reached the US Open final. From 2011, Djokovic had one of the greatest seasons in tennis history, winning three majors and numerous Masters titles. In 2016, he achieved the "Nole Slam" by holding all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously, completing his career Grand Slam.

After struggling with injuries and form, Djokovic returned to prominence by winning Wimbledon and the US Open in 2018. In 2019, he captured the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles, including an epic final against Roger Federer. Djokovic continued his success by winning the 2020 Australian Open and completing his second career Golden Masters. In 2021, he won three major titles and frequently reclaimed the world No. 1 ranking, breaking several records, including the most weeks as world No. 1. In 2023, Djokovic won his 24th major title at the US Open and achieved his record-extending seventh ATP Finals title. In 2024, he continued to break records and reached significant career milestones, despite battling injuries.

Rivalries

Djokovic has a winning record against all of his top contemporaries, including his fellow Big Three counterparts, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Rafael Nadal

Djokovic and Rafael Nadal rivalry is the most prolific in men's tennis in the Open Era. The two have faced each other 59 times, including in all four major finals, with Djokovic leading 30–29 overall.^[49][50] Djokovic leads on hard courts 20–7 while Nadal leads on clay 20–8, and they are tied on grass 2–2.^[51]

Djokovic is the only player to have beaten Nadal in all four majors. He is also the player with the most victories over Nadal on clay, beating him twice at the French Open and all three claycourt Masters events, notably in 2013 Monte-Carlo Masters where he ended Nadal's run of 8 consecutive titles. Djokovic has two streaks of seven victories against Nadal, in 2011–2012 and 2015–2016. The two contested in the longest major finals match ever played at the 2012 Australian Open where Djokovic won in five sets lasting 5 hours and 53 minutes.^[52][53][54] Other classics they played include the 2009 Madrid Masters semifinal,^[55] 2011 Miami Masters final,^[56][57] the 2013 French Open semifinal,^[58] 2018 Wimbledon semifinal,^[59][60] and the 2021 French Open semifinal.^[61]

Roger Federer

Djokovic and Roger Federer rivalry is considered to be one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history. They faced each other 50 times, with Djokovic leading 27–23, including 13–6 in finals (not including a 2014 walkover in favour of Djokovic). Djokovic leads on hard courts 20–18 as well as on grass 3–1 and they are split 4–4 on clay.^[62]

Djokovic is the player with the most victories over Federer and the only player to beat Federer multiple times at his most successful major tournaments, four times at the Australian Open, three times at the US Open, three times at the Year-end Championship and most notably, three times at the final of Wimbledon Championships. Their most recent final was at the 2019 Wimbledon where Djokovic won in five sets in what became the longest final in Wimbledon history.^[63][64] Other notable matches they contested are the 2014 Wimbledon and 2015 Wimbledon finals, along with semifinals at the 2010 US Open, 2011 US Open, 2011 French Open, and 2018 Paris Masters.^[65][66][67]

Andy Murray

Djokovic and Andy Murray have met 36 times, with Djokovic leading 25–11.^[68] Djokovic leads on hard courts 20–8 and 5–1 on clay, while Murray has won the two matches played on grass. Djokovic and Murray are one of two pairs to have met in each of the four major finals (other pair being Djokovic and Nadal). The two are almost exactly the same age, with Murray being a week older than Djokovic, so they progressed through the ranks of the junior circuit together, and Murray was the winner of the first match they ever played as teenagers at Les Petits As in 2001.^[69] They were the 2015 and 2016 year-end top two players in the world, with the battle for the 2016 year-end No. 1 only being decided in the final of the World Tour Finals, which was won by Murray in straight sets.^[70]

One of their most notable matches was a three-set thriller at the final of the 2012 Shanghai Masters, in which Djokovic saved five championship points to win his first Shanghai Masters title and end Murray's 12–0 winning streak at the event.^[71] Tennis pundits have classified many more of their matches as instant classics, such as the 2011 Italian Open semifinals, the 2012 Australian Open semifinal, 2012 US Open final, the 2015 semifinal and 2016 final at the French Open, and the 2017 Qatar Open final.^[72][73]

Stan Wawrinka

Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka have met 27 times with Djokovic leading 21–6. Although this rivalry is lopsided in favor of Djokovic, the two have contested numerous close matches, including four five-setters at the majors.^[74] Wawrinka and Djokovic have met in three consecutive Australian Opens – with each match going to five sets – and a five-setter in the US Open. In the 2013 Australian Open fourth round, Djokovic won 12–10 in a fifth set, with the match being considered one of the best ever played;^{[75][76][77][78][79][80][81]} at the 2013 US Open semifinals Djokovic won 6–4 in the fifth set; at the 2014 Australian Open quarterfinals, Wawrinka won 9–7 in the fifth.^[82] Wawrinka's win broke Djokovic's run of 14 consecutive major semifinals, and ended a 28-match winning streak; and Wawrinka went on to win his first major title at the tournament.^[83] Djokovic got revenge the next year at the 2015 Australian Open, winning 6–0 in the fifth set.^[84]

At the 2015 French Open final, Wawrinka defeated Djokovic in four sets to claim his second major title. Later that year, Djokovic beat Wawrinka at the Cincinnati Masters and Paris Masters.^[85] At the 2016 US Open, Wawrinka beat Djokovic in a major final for a second time.^[86]

Despite Djokovic's 21–6 overall record against Wawrinka, Wawrinka leads Djokovic 3–2 in ATP finals, two of which in major finals.^[87] During Djokovic's run of 13 major finals from the 2014 Wimbledon Championships through the 2020 Australian Open, his only two losses were to Wawrinka. Contrary to most high-profile rivalries, the pair have also played doubles together.^[88]

Juan Martín del Potro

Djokovic and Juan Martín del Potro met 20 times, with Djokovic leading 16–4.^[89] Djokovic won their first four meetings, before back-to-back victories for del Potro at the 2011 Davis Cup and their Bronze medal match at the 2012 Summer Olympics in straight sets. Djokovic won the next four matches before he lost to del Potro at the 2013 Indian Wells Masters, where the Argentine made his second career Masters final. Djokovic got the upper hand on the rivalry once again by winning two of the most important matches between them to date; an epic five-setter at the 2013 Wimbledon Championships semifinals (which was the longest Wimbledon semifinal at the time),^[90] and a thrilling three-setter at the 2013 Shanghai Masters final. Del Potro upset Djokovic in the first round at the 2016 Rio Olympics in Rio en route to the final. In 2018, Djokovic defeated del Potro in three close sets in the final of the US Open, which was the first Grand Slam final for del Potro since his 2009 US Open victory. They played their last match at the 2019 Italian Open quarterfinal which Djokovic won in a dramatic three-setter after saving two match points.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga met 23 times, with Djokovic leading 17–6.^[91] Their first meeting was in the final of the 2008 Australian Open, which Djokovic won in four sets to win his first major singles title.^[91] Tsonga got revenge in their next meeting at the majors, the 2010 Australian Open quarterfinals, winning in five sets after Djokovic fell ill during the match.^[92] Djokovic then won their next match at the 2011 Wimbledon semifinals to advance to his first final there, claiming the world No. 1 ranking for the first time in the process.^[93] They met again in the quarterfinals of the 2012 French Open, which Djokovic won in five sets after over four hours.^[94] They then played a further three matches in 2012, in the quarterfinals of the Olympics, the final of the China Open, and in the round robin stage of the ATP Finals, with Djokovic winning all of them in straight sets.^[91] Their final major meeting was in the second round of the 2019 Australian Open, which Djokovic won in straight sets.^[91]

Dominic Thiem

Djokovic and Dominic Thiem have met 12 times, with Djokovic leading 7–5.^[95] They have met four times at the majors, splitting them evenly 2–2, and three times at the ATP finals, with Thiem leading 2–1.^[95] The two have contested numerous close matches, with each of their last four meetings ending with a deciding set, including two five-setters at the majors.^[95] This streak started with a grueling four-hour, five-set epic stretched across two days in the semifinals of the 2019 French Open, which Thiem won to end Djokovic's quest for a second "Nole Slam".^[96] They then played in the round robin stage of the 2019 ATP Finals, which Thiem won in a deciding set tiebreaker. This was followed by the 2020 Australian Open final, which Djokovic won in five sets, while their last match, the semifinals of the 2020 ATP Finals, was won by Thiem in three sets.^[95]

Daniil Medvedev

Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev have met 15 times, with Djokovic leading 10–5.^[97][98] They have contested 4 Grand Slam matches, with Djokovic leading 3–1. Their first Grand Slam match came at the 2019 Australian Open 4th round, which Djokovic won in 4 sets. Their next 3 encounters at the Majors came in finals, with Djokovic winning the 2021 Australian Open and the 2023 US Open finals, and Medvedev winning his first major title at the 2021 US Open against Djokovic in the final, also ending Djokovic's quest for a calendar-year Grand Slam.^[99] Medvedev replaced Djokovic as the world No. 1 player when he rose to the top ranking for the first time in February 2022.^[100] All 3 Grand Slam finals between Djokovic and Medvedev were straight set wins. The second set of the 2023 US Open, which Djokovic eventually won in a tiebreaker after a grueling 104-minute battle, was one of the longest sets in US Open history.^[101]

Stefanos Tsitsipas

Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas have met 13 times, with Djokovic leading 11–2.^[102][103] Their first meeting took place in the third round of the 2018 Rogers Cup, with the then 19-year-old Tsitsipas, ranked No. 27, pulling an upset over Djokovic in three sets.^[104] Djokovic avenged this loss by beating Tsitsipas in the 2019 Madrid Open, but Tstisipas then won their next match in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Shanghai Masters to bring their head-to-head to 2–1 in his favor.^[102][105] Djokovic then won all of their next ten matches, among them are the 2020 French Open semifinal; the 2021 Italian Open quarterfinal spread over two days;^[106] the 2021 French Open final which saw Djokovic coming back from 2 sets to 0 down to win his second French Open title; the 2022 Italian Open final; and the 2023 Australian Open final, where the two were competing for the world No. 1 ranking.^[102]

Carlos Alcaraz

Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have met five times, with Djokovic leading 3–2. Both have won once at a Grand Slam tournament and once at a Masters tournament, and Djokovic defeated Alcaraz in the semifinals of 2023 ATP Finals.^[107]

Their first meeting was at the 2022 Madrid Masters semifinals, in which Alcaraz prevailed in a deciding set tiebreaker. Their next meeting would not be until the semifinals of the 2023 French Open, which was highly anticipated and received immense hype from media and the ATP itself.^{[108][109][110][111]} Djokovic won in four sets, with the match competitive until Alcaraz faltered due to cramps from mental pressure and physical intensity.^[112] They would meet again soon after in the 2023 Wimbledon final, in which Alcaraz would defeat Djokovic in a five-setter that lasted 4 hours and 42 minutes, ending his hopes for a calendar Grand Slam and his record 45-match Centre Court win streak.^[113] They would meet soon again in another epic at the 2023 Cincinnati Masters final, with Djokovic prevailing in three tightly contested sets after saving a match point. The match was the longest best-of-three-sets ATP Tour final and the longest match in the tournament's history, at 3 hours and 49 minutes, and was immediately praised as one of the best matches ever.^{[114][115][116][117]} Djokovic won despite being a set down and down a break in the second set, along with saving a championship point in the second-set tiebreaker.^[118][119]

Legacy

Djokovic is regarded by many observers, tennis players and coaches as the greatest tennis player of all time, primarily for his achievements across all top-level tournaments of the men's professional tour in addition to his time spent with the world No. 1 ranking. Many media outlets, including Forbes, Reuters, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Marca, Tennis World USA, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Sporting News have named Djokovic the greatest male tennis player in history.^{[123][124][125][126][127][128]}

Djokovic has won a record 71 Big Titles, including an all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles, and holds the most weeks at No. 1, the most wins over top 5 and top 10-ranked players, has won all major and Masters events and the year-end championships at least twice (which has not been done by another player once) and has a winning head-to-head record over his greatest rivals in one of the strongest eras of tennis.^{[129][130][131][132][133][134][135][136][137][138][139]} Former world No. 1 Daniil Medvedev labelled Djokovic the "greatest tennis player in history" after winning his first major title at the 2021 US Open over Djokovic.^[140] Pat Cash emphasized that Djokovic is one of two players who beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open, which he considers to be "the biggest challenge in tennis".^[131] Richard Krajicek and The Roar, sports opinion website, said that Djokovic should be considered for the greatest player of all time because he is the only one among his rivals who has won all four majors consecutively.^{[141][142][143]} Patrick Mouratoglou stated, "Novak is the most complete player of all times. That enables him to find the solution to most of the problems on court and this, on every surface. It explains why he is now in the best position to become the GOAT".^[144] Rafael Nadal has praised Djokovic's peak level of performance, stating in 2011 (when he went 0–6 against Djokovic for the season) that "[Djokovic's level is] probably the highest level of tennis that I ever saw."^[145] Nadal reiterated this after a one-sided loss in the 2016 Qatar Open final, stating that "I played against a player who did everything perfectly. I don't know anybody who's ever played tennis like this. Since I know this sport I've never seen somebody playing at this level."^[146] In 2017, Nadal stated that "at a technical level, when Djokovic has been at the top of his game, I have to say that I’ve been up against an invincible player."^[147][148] In 2023, former world No. 7 Mardy Fish also declared that Djokovic in 2011 was the "best player of all time".^[149] In 2023, Boris Becker compared Djokovic to Lionel Messi, Tom Brady and LeBron James in their respective sports, saying that "For me, he is the lion king".^[150]

Tennis coach Nick Bollettieri praised Djokovic as the "most complete player ever",^[151] and the "most perfect player of all time":^[152]

When you look at match players in the history of tennis, I don't believe that anybody can equal everything on the court that Djokovic does. I don't think you can find a weakness in his game. His movement, personality, his return of serve, his serve, excellent touch, not hesitant in coming to the net, great serve. Overall, almost every player has a downfall; to me, he doesn't have one. He's perhaps the best put-together player that I've seen over 60 years.^[153]

Andre Agassi, stated in an interview in 2019 with the Times of India that:

The highest standard of tennis that I've ever seen is when Novak is playing his best tennis. The single level, for whatever my tennis IQ is worth, is an unmistakable standard to which everybody will strive to be.^[154]

Pete Sampras, who at the time of his retirement in 2003 was considered by some to be the greatest male tennis player of all time, stated after Djokovic earned a record-breaking seventh year-end No. 1 finish in 2021:

Seven years for him, I'm sure he sees it as a bonus to all the majors that he's won, but I think he'll appreciate it more as he gets older. He did it at a time where he dominated two of the greats, in Roger and Rafa, and he handled the next generation of players very well – all at the same time. I do think what Novak's done over the past 10 years, winning the majors, being consistent, finishing number one for seven years, to me it's a clear sign that he is the greatest of all time.^[135][155]

Tennis pundits have classified many of Djokovic's matches as some of the greatest contests ever, such as the 2012 Australian Open final, in which he beat Nadal in five long and gruelling sets.^[156][157] Other matches include the five-set 2013 Australian Open fourth round against Stan Wawrinka,^[78][80] the 2018 Wimbledon semifinal against Nadal, which lasted five brutal sets played over two days,^[158][159] the five-set 2019 Wimbledon final against Roger Federer, the longest Wimbledon final in history,^[160][161] and the 2023 Cincinnati Masters final against Carlos Alcaraz, the longest best-of-three-sets final in ATP Tour history.^[114][115]

Some analysts claim that the Djokovic–Nadal rivalry ranks as the best rivalry in tennis history because of the quality of matches they produce.^[162]

Player profile

Playing style

Djokovic is an aggressive baseline player.^[163] His groundstrokes from both wings are consistent, deep, and penetrating. His backhand is widely regarded as the greatest two-handed backhand of all time, due to its effectiveness on both sides of the court and its accuracy.^{[164][165][166]} His best shot is his backhand down the line, with great pace and precision. He excels at returning serve in particular, and regularly ranks among the tour leaders in return points, return games, and break points won. His forehand is deemed to be underrated, yet one of the best, due to its versatility.^[167] After great technical difficulties during the 2009 season (coinciding with his switch to the Head racket series), his serve is one of his major weapons again, winning him many free points; his first serve is typically hit flat, while he prefers to slice and kick his second serves wide.^[163] He has also led the ATP Tour in their career "Under Pressure Rating" statistic, in part because of his prowess at winning deciding sets.

Djokovic has been described as one of the fittest and most complete athletes in sports history, with high agility, court coverage and mobility, which allows him to hit winners from seemingly indefensible positions.^[168][169] Because of this, coupled with flexibility and length, he rarely gets aced. Todd Martin, who coached Djokovic between 2009 and 2010, noted that:^[170]

His athleticism is from another world. His return of serve is way better than any other return of serve ever and I mean way better. Nobody has gotten so many balls back and neutralized so many good serves.

Djokovic's return of serve is a big weapon for him, with which he can be both offensive and defensive. He is highly efficient off both the forehand and backhand return, often getting the return in play deep with pace, neutralizing the advantage the server usually has in a point. Andre Agassi described Djokovic's return of serve as "the precedent-setting standard for the return".^[171][172] Occasionally, Djokovic employs a well-disguised backhand underspin drop shot and sliced backhand.

Djokovic commented on the modern style of play, including his own, in an interview with Jim Courier after his semifinal win against Andy Murray in the 2012 Australian Open tournament:^[173]

I had a big privilege and honour to meet personally today Mr. Laver, and he is one of the biggest, and greatest players ever to play the game, thank you for staying this late, sir, thank you ... even though it would actually be better if we played a couple times serve and volley, but we don't know to play ... we are mostly around here [points to the area near the baseline], we are running, you know, around the baseline ...

In assessing Djokovic's 2011 season, Jimmy Connors said that Djokovic gives his opponents problems by playing "a little bit old-school, taking the ball earlier, catching the ball on the rise, (and) driving the ball flat." Connors adds that a lot of the topspin that Djokovic's opponents drive at him comes right into his zone, thus his ability to turn defense into offense well.^[174]

Equipment

Entering the pro circuit, Djokovic used the Head Liquidmetal Radical, but changed sponsors to Wilson in 2005. He could not find a Wilson racquet he liked, so Wilson agreed to make him a custom racquet to match his previous one with Head.^[175] After the 2008 season, Djokovic re-signed with Head, and debuted a new paint job of the Head YouTek Speed Pro at the 2009 Australian Open. He then switched to the Head YouTek IG Speed (18x20) paint job in 2011, and in 2013, he again updated his paint job to the Head Graphene Speed Pro, which included an extensive promotional campaign.^[176] Djokovic uses a hybrid of Head Natural Gut (gauge 16) in the mains and Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power Rough (gauge 16L) in the crosses. He also uses Head Synthetic Leather Grip as a replacement grip.^[177] In 2012, Djokovic appeared in a television commercial with Maria Sharapova promoting the use of Head rackets for many techniques such as golf and ten-pin bowling.^[178]

Coaching and personal team

Djokovic had several coaches, trainers, and advisors throughout his life, and each of them has helped Djokovic become and stay a champion. He has learned from all them and picked up at least something good from each. Djokovic's most important coaches when he was growing up were Jelena Genčić, who he has called his “tennis mother”, and Nikola Pilić, the “tennis father”, both of whom were major influences on his young life.^[32] Genčić worked with Djokovic for six years between 1993 and 1999, from ages six to 12, mainly at Belgrade's Teniski Klub Partizan, while Pilić worked with him between 1999 and 2003, coaching him in his academy in Munich.^[27][29]

In the period 2004 and 2005, Djokovic was coached by Dejan Petrović.^[179] Under the mentoring of Petrović, Djokovic went from being ranked outside the top 300 to breaking into the top 100 in less than a year.^[180] From fall 2005 until June 2006, he was coached by Riccardo Piatti, who divided his time between the 18-year-old and Ivan Ljubičić. Player and coach reportedly parted ways over the latter's refusal to work full-time with Djokovic.^[181][182]

From June 2006 until May 2017, Djokovic was coached by former professional Slovakian tennis player Marián Vajda. They met for the first time during that year's French Open, after which Vajda was hired to be the 19-year-old's coach. On occasion Djokovic employed additional coaches on a part-time basis: in 2007, during the spring hardcourt season, he worked with Australian doubles ace Mark Woodforde with specific emphasis on volleys and net play while from August 2009 until April 2010 American Todd Martin joined the coaching team, a period marked by his ill-fated attempt to change Djokovic's serve motion.^[183] From early 2007 until 2017, Djokovic worked with physiotherapist Miljan Amanović, who had previously worked with football team Red Star Belgrade, and NBA players, such as Vladimir Radmanović.^[181][184]

From the fall of 2006, Djokovic had an Israeli fitness coach, Ronen Bega, but the two parted ways during the spring of 2009.^[185] Djokovic decided to make a change after identifying his conditioning as a weakness in his game following continual losses to Nadal.^[186] In April 2009, ahead of the Rome Masters, Djokovic hired Austrian Gebhard Phil-Gritsch (formerly worked with Thomas Muster) to join the team in fitness coach capacity.^[187][188]

In 2008, Djokovic hired Italian agent Edoardo Artaldi and his management team, which includes his wife, Elena Capellaro, to oversee the huge operation that runs around him. They met when Djokovic signed a contract with the Italian clothing brand Sergio Tacchini, where Artaldi was working at the time.^[189] Despite taking a lead role as an agent and business manager, Artaldi has acted like a father figure in Djokovic's camp. During an interview with Italian outlet SBS in 2019, Artaldi explained that, together with his wife, they have tried to “create the atmosphere” that Djokovic needed while on tour because he missed his family while traveling.^[189][190] Djokovic's relationship with Artaldi has had its challenging moments, as he screamed at Artaldi and brother Marko to leave his box during the final of the 2023 Adelaide Open.^[189]

In July 2010, before the Davis Cup clash away at Croatia, Djokovic made another addition to his team – Igor Četojević, a Serbian nutritionist and proponent of traditional medicine living in Cyprus,^[191] who influenced Djokovic's diet.^[192][193] A gluten-free diet appeared to have worked as Djokovic began feeling stronger, quicker, and much more fit.^[192] After Djokovic's Wimbledon win in July 2011, Četojević left the team.^[194]

After retiring from professional tennis in August 2011, Serbian player Dušan Vemić joined Djokovic's team as the assistant coach and hitting partner for Novak. The collaboration ended before the 2013 US Open.^[195] Likewise, Djokovic's childhood friend and former junior doubles partner Bojan Božović also briefly served as a hitting partner for Novak in late 2014, shortly after Božović had opened his academy.^[196] Due to Božović's height and strong serve, Djokovic specifically practiced his returns with him, most notably for the 2014 Paris Masters final against Milos Raonic, a player with a powerful serve.^[196]

Six-time major champion and former world No. 1 Boris Becker, who had mostly worked as a television pundit for BBC Sport and Sky Sports since retiring from playing in 1999, was announced as Djokovic's new head coach in December 2013.^[197] According to Djokovic, the Becker appointment was done with input from the player's existing head coach Marián Vajda who reportedly wanted to spend more time with his family and was looking to have his coaching workload somewhat reduced.^[198] For Becker, in addition to working alongside Vajda, the job entailed special emphasis on Grand Slam tournaments as Djokovic felt he missed out on winning a couple of majors over the previous two seasons due to a lack of mental edge in the final stages of those tournaments.^[199] Becker's first tournament coaching Djokovic was the 2014 Australian Open.

On 5 May 2017, Djokovic confirmed that he had come to a mutual agreement to terminate his coaching relationship with Vajda, as well as Phil-Gritsch and Amanović. In a statement on his website, Djokovic cited the reasons for the personnel shakeup: "Novak and the team members decided to part ways after a detailed analysis of the game, achieved results in the previous period, and also after discussing private plans of each team member. Despite the fantastic cooperation so far, Djokovic felt he needed to make a change, and to introduce new energy in order to raise his level of play."^[200]

Djokovic reunited with Marián Vajda in April 2018 for the Monte-Carlo Masters.^[201][202] On 30 June 2019, Djokovic confirmed that he also added former world No. 2 and Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanišević to his coaching team.^[203]

In late 2021, Djokovic decided to play fewer tournaments due to both his age and his desire to mainly focus his energy on the Grand Slam championships, and as such, he decided to be with a smaller team that had only one coach, and he chose Ivanišević due to Vajda's reluctance to coach just one player only at the majors.^[204] Djokovic and Vajda thus parted ways for a second time in December 2021, but it was only made public in March 2022,^[204] when both announced that Vajda would no longer coach Djokovic and that it was an amicable and mutual decision. Vajda promised to remain his 'biggest support' on and off the court. Djokovic said on Twitter "What a journey Marian. 15 years!"^[205] In addition to Ivanišević as his new coach, Djokovic also added fitness trainer Marco Panichi and hitting partner Carlos Gómez-Herrera, a retired tennis player with whom he had been friends for around 15 years, while also keeping physiotherapist Miljan Amanović.^[190][206]

In late 2023, Djokovic decided to end his professional long-term association with Edoardo Artaldi's management team, who had been with him since 2008, stating that “I’m now at a stage where I'm entering a new chapter about the off-court approach”.^[190] In a heartfelt message of gratitude for them, Djokovic stated: "My appreciation and love for you two personally goes beyond any professional relationship. What you did for me and my family privately and the amount of care and empathy you had all these years, especially towards my wife and kids is something very special for me and I will never forget that".^[207]

Off the court

Philanthropy

In 2007, Djokovic founded the Novak Djokovic Foundation.^[209] The organization's mission is to help children from disadvantaged communities grow up and develop in stimulating and safe environments.^[210] The foundation partnered with the World Bank in August 2015 to promote early childhood education in Serbia.^{[211][212][213]} His foundation has built 50 schools as of April 2022 and are building their 51st, and supported more than 20,800 children and over a thousand families.^[214][215]

Djokovic participated in charity matches to raise funds for the reconstruction of the Avala Tower, as well as to aid victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake and 2010–11 Queensland floods.^{[216][217][218]} Starting in 2007, he has established a tradition of hosting and socializing with hundreds of Kosovo Serb children during Davis Cup matches organized in Serbia.^[219] Djokovic was selected as the 2012 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year, for his contributions through the foundation, his role as a UNICEF national ambassador and other charitable projects.^[220] In August 2015, he was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.^[21]

During the 2014 Balkans floods, Djokovic sparked worldwide financial and media support for victims in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia.^[221] After winning the 2014 Rome Masters, Djokovic donated his prize money to the flood victims in Serbia, while his foundation collected another $600,000.^[221][215] Following his 2016 Australian Open victory, Djokovic donated $20,000 to Melbourne City Mission's early childhood education program to help disadvantaged children.^[222] After the COVID-19 pandemic spread to Serbia in March 2020, he and his wife announced that they will donate €1 million for the purchase of ventilators and medical equipment to support hospitals and other medical institutions.^[223] He also made a donation to Bergamo, Italy‚ one of the worst-affected Italian provinces, as well as to Novi Pazar, Serbia and North Mitrovica, Kosovo.^{[224][225][226]}

Sponsorships and business ventures

Djokovic endorses Serbian telecommunications company Telekom Srbija and German nutritional supplement brand FitLine.^[227]

On turning professional in 2003, Djokovic began wearing Adidas clothing. At the end of 2009, Djokovic signed a 10-year deal with the Italian clothing company Sergio Tacchini after Adidas refused to extend his clothing contract (choosing instead to sign Andy Murray).^[228] Tacchini doesn't make shoes so Djokovic continued with Adidas as his choice of footwear. His sponsorship contract with Tacchini was incentive-heavy, and Djokovic's disproportionate success and dominance in 2011 caused the company to fall behind on bonus payments, leading to the termination of the sponsorship contract.^[229][230]

From 2011, Djokovic began to wear custom Red and Blue Adidas Barricade 6.0's shoes, referring to the colours of the Serbian national flag. By April 2012, the Tacchini deal had fallen first short and then apart. At that point, he was set to join forces with Nike, Inc.,^[231] but instead, on 23 May 2012, Uniqlo appointed Djokovic as its global brand ambassador. The five-year sponsorship, reportedly worth €8 million per year,^[232] began on 27 May 2012 in Paris' French Open tennis tournament. A year later, Djokovic's long-term footwear deal with Adidas was announced ahead of 2013 French Open.^[233]

In August 2011, Djokovic became the brand ambassador of Swiss watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet.^[234] Less than a month later, Djokovic signed a sponsorship deal with German car company Mercedes-Benz.^[235] In March 2012, Djokovic was announced by Bombardier Aerospace as its latest Learjet brand ambassador, thus joining the likes of actor and pilot John Travolta, architect Frank Gehry, maestro Valery Gergiev, and classical pianist Lang Lang.^[236] From January 2014 Djokovic has been endorsing French car manufacturer Peugeot.^[237] At the same time he entered into an endorsement deal with Japanese watch manufacturer Seiko,^[238] having just ended his affiliation with their rivals Audemars Piguet.^[239] In early 2015, ahead of the Australian Open, Djokovic teamed up with Australian banking corporation ANZ for a social media campaign to raise money for local communities across the Asia Pacific region.^[240][241] At the same time his partnership with Jacob's Creek, an Australian wine brand owned by Orlando Wines, was announced in regards to the production and distribution of 'Made By' film series, a documentary style content meant to "show a side of Novak not seen before as he recounts never before told life stories from Belgrade, Serbia, celebrating what has made him the champion he is today".^[242]

Since 2004, the business end of Djokovic's career has been handled by Israeli managers Amit Naor (former pro tennis player turned sports agent) and Allon Khakshouri, a duo which also had Marat Safin and Dinara Safina as its clients. In June 2008, after the duo entered into a partnership with CAA Sports, the sports division of Hollywood talent firm Creative Artists Agency, meaning that the famous company started representing tennis players for the first time,^[243] Djokovic formally signed with CAA Sports.^[244] After Djokovic's contract with CAA Sports expired during summer 2012, he decided to switch representation, announcing IMG Worldwide as his new representatives in December 2012.^[245]

On 22 May 2017, Djokovic was unveiled as a brand ambassador of Lacoste after a five-year partnership with Uniqlo.^[246]

During the 2021 US Open, some people in Djokovic's player box wore hats and shirts bearing the logo of Raiffeisen Bank International, the central back of one of the two largest banking cooperatives in Austria. In April 2021, Djokovic became a brand ambassador for RBI and its subsidiaries in Central and Eastern Europe. The bank will help to support Djokovic's tennis academy in Belgrade.^[247] Djokovic did not wear the RBI logo, but he did wear on his shirt the logo of UKG, an American workforce management and human resource management company. People in his box wore the logo on hats as well. UKG lists Djokovic as one of their sponsored athletes.^[248]

Investments

In 2005, as Djokovic moved up the tennis rankings, he began venturing into the business world. Most of his activities in the business arena have been channeled through Family Sport, a legal entity in Serbia established and run by members of his immediate family. Registered as a limited liability company, Family Sport initially focused on hospitality, specifically the restaurant business, by launching Novak Café & Restaurant, a franchise developed on the theme of Djokovic's tennis success. Over time, the company, whose day-to-day operations are mostly handled by Novak's father Srdjan and uncle Goran, expanded its activities into real estate, sports/entertainment event organization, and sports apparel distribution.^[249]

The company launched Novak Café & Restaurant in 2008 in the Belgrade municipality of Novi Beograd, the flagship location in a franchised chain of theme café-restaurants. During 2009, two more locations were added—one in Kragujevac and the other in Belgrade, the city's second, in September at the neighbourhood of Dorćol overlooking the playing courts of Serbia Open whose inaugural edition took place several months earlier.^[250] On 16 December 2011 a location in Novi Sad was opened,^[251] however, it operated just over three years before closing in late March 2015.^[252] Banja Luka in neighbouring Bosnia got its Novak Café & Restaurant location on 16 October 2015 within Hotel Trešnja on Banj hill.^[253][254]

In 2009, the company bought a 250-series ATP tournament known as the Dutch Open and moved it to Serbia where it was renamed the Serbia Open. With the help of Belgrade city authorities, the tournament's inaugural edition was held in May 2009 at the city-owned "Milan Gale Muškatirović" courts, located at an attractive spot in Dorćol neighbourhood.^[255] The tournament folded in 2012 after four editions and its place in the ATP calendar got taken over by the Düsseldorf Open.

In May 2015, right after winning his fourth Rome Masters title, Djokovic launched a line of nutritional food products, called Djokolife.^[256] On 10 April 2016, while in town for the Monte-Carlo Masters, Djokovic opened a vegan restaurant called Eqvita in Monte Carlo.^[257] The restaurant reportedly closed in March 2019.^[258]

Djokovic has 80% stake in biotech firm QuantBioRes which claims to be developing a drug to treat patients who have contracted COVID-19.^[259] Their research is based on electromagnetic frequency; one biomedical scientist likened it to homeopathy and argued that it "does not reflect a contemporary understanding of how biochemistry works", while Peter Collignon commented that their website "describes a way of finding a new molecule without providing any evidence of success".^[260]

Professional Tennis Players Association

In August 2020, Djokovic resigned from the Players Council of the Association of Tennis Professionals and formed the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) with Vasek Pospisil. The pair will serve as co-presidents of the new organisation to promote the interests of male and female tennis players above a ranking of 500 in singles and 200 in doubles.^[261]

In popular culture

Throughout the latter part of the 2007 season, including before Wimbledon and during US Open, his comedic impressions of fellow contemporary tennis players received much media play.^[262] It began when a BBC camera crew recorded some footage of the twenty-year-old impersonating Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal, Goran Ivanišević, and Lleyton Hewitt on a practice court at London's Queen's Club Championships just before Wimbledon.^[263] The material — consisting of Djokovic imitating the said players by exaggerating their trademark physical gestures or nervous tics for the entertainment of his coaching team Marián Vajda and Mark Woodforde — aired during BBC's coverage of the tournament and subsequently became popular online.^[264] Two months later at the US Open, a phone video shot by Argentine players of Djokovic doing locker room impressions of players such as Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Filippo Volandri and Nadal made its way online, becoming viral.^[263][265] A few days later, after beating Carlos Moyá in the quarterfinals, USA Network's on-court interviewer Michael Barkann asked Djokovic to perform some impressions and the player obliged by doing Sharapova and Nadal to the delight of the crowd.^{[263][266][267][268]}

In addition to Djokovic, the national surge in the popularity of tennis was also inspired by three other up-and-coming young players: 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 show named NAJJ Srbije (The Best of Serbia), put together in honour of the four players' respective successes in the 2007 season, drew a capacity crowd to Belgrade's Kombank Arena.^[269][270] In May 2008, he was a special guest during the first semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Belgrade that year. He threw a big tennis ball into the crowd, announcing the start of the voting and together with one of the show's co-presenters, Željko Joksimović, Djokovic sang Đorđe Marjanović's song "Beograde".^[271]

Throughout late April and early May 2009, during ATP Master Series tournaments in Rome and Madrid, respectively, the Serb was a guest on the Fiorello Show on Sky Uno hosted by Italian comedian Rosario Fiorello^[272] followed by an appearance on Pablo Motos' show El Hormiguero.^[273]

Djokovic is also featured in the music video for the song "Hello" by Martin Solveig and Dragonette. The video, filmed at Stade Roland Garros, shows Solveig facing off against Bob Sinclar, another DJ, in a tennis match. When the referee calls a crucial ball "Out", Djokovic enters the arena and convinces the referee otherwise.^[274] In 2010, the Serbian blues-rock band Zona B recorded the song "The Joker", dedicating it to Djokovic.^[275][276]

On 25 June 2011, at the Serbian National Defense Council's seventieth congress in Chicago, Djokovic was unanimously awarded the Order of Serbian National Defense in America I class – the highest decoration of the SND. The order was given to the twenty-four-year-old for his merits on the international sports scene and his contributions to the reputation of Serbs and Serbia around the world.^[277] The day after winning his first Wimbledon title and reaching the No. 1 ranking for the first time in his career, Djokovic went home to Belgrade for a homecoming celebration in front of the Serbian National Assembly, an event attended by close to 100,000 people.^[278]

On 28 November 2011, after returning from London where he finished early due to failing to progress out of his round-robin group, Djokovic visited his childhood tennis coach Jelena Genčić at her Belgrade home, bringing the Wimbledon trophy along.^[279] The meeting, reportedly their first in more than four years, was recorded by two television crews – a Serbian one shooting for Aleksandar Gajšek's show Agape on Studio B television^[280][281] and an American one from CBS television network filming material for Djokovic's upcoming piece on 60 Minutes. The next day, 29 November 2011, on invitation from film producer Avi Lerner, Djokovic was part of the high-budget Hollywood movie production The Expendables 2 in a cameo playing himself^[282] that was shot in a warehouse in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia.^[283] However, his bit part was later cut out of the final version of the movie.^[284]

In March 2012, he was profiled on the CBS show 60 Minutes by their correspondent Bob Simon. He was named amongst the 100 most influential people of 2012 by TIME magazine.^[285]

Djokovic has been a guest on late-night talk shows, such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Veče sa Ivanom Ivanovićem, Conan, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Jonathan Ross Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.^[286]

In April 2021, a team of Balkan biospeleologists named a recently discovered freshwater snail species Travunijana djokovici after Djokovic.^[287]

In 2022, a book titled Facing Novak Djokovic, a compilation of interviews with ATP players who described in detail what it's like to compete against Djokovic, was published.^[288]

In 2022, Nikola Vesović, a research associate at the University of Belgrade, announced that a new species of beetle in the genus Duvalius recently discovered near the town of Ljubovija, Serbia, had been named Duvalius djokovici after Djokovic.^[289]

Djokovic will appear in the 2024 documentary Federer: Twelve Final Days about Roger Federer's final tournament before his retirement, the 2022 Laver Cup.

Views on diet, medicine and science

Since 2010, he has been connected with the nutritionist Igor Četojević who additionally focuses on Chinese medicine and performs acupuncture.^[191] He allegedly discovered that Djokovic suffers from gluten intolerance, using applied kinesiology, and that he should not eat gluten, removing it from his diet.^[192] He eventually settled on a vegan diet, while later sometimes eating fish.^[290] He also claims this vegan, plant-based diet cured his persistent allergies and mild asthma.^[291] The gluten-free diet has been credited for improving his endurance on the court and playing a role in his subsequent success.^[292][293]

Following his elbow surgery in 2018, he stated that he "cried for three days" after it, feeling guilty, because he was "not a fan of surgeries or medications" and wanted "to be as natural as possible". He further stated that his belief that human "bodies are self-healing mechanisms".^[294][295]

In his 2013 autobiography, Serve to Win, he wrote of a "researcher" who directed "anger, fear, hostility" at a glass of water, which turned "slightly green" after a few days, while also directing "love, joy" at another glass of water, which remained "bright and crystal clear" in the same period.^[192][296] In 2020, Djokovic spoke of his belief that "some people" used "prayer" and "gratitude" to "turn the most toxic food, or maybe most polluted water into the most healing water." He also stated that "scientists [have] proven" that "molecules in the water react to our emotions" and speech.^[297][298] Such claims are scientifically dubious,^[299][300] and generally regarded as superstitious beliefs.^[301]

Opposition to COVID-19 vaccine

During the ATP Tour's shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in a Facebook live stream with other Serbian athletes hosted in April 2020, Djokovic indicated he opposes vaccination and would not be forced to take a COVID vaccine just to be able to return to the Тour.^[295][302] He later clarified his remarks by stating that he is not against all kinds of vaccines, but that he is against forced vaccination.^[303] He added that he was extremely careful about what he puts into his body.^[303]

Djokovic's views came under increased scrutiny in late 2021, in the run-up to the 2022 Australian Open, after comments made by Australian government officials indicated that tennis players would need to be vaccinated to enter the tournament.^[304] Prior to the tournament, Djokovic had refused to state publicly whether he was vaccinated or not, but had made comments stating his concern over the possibility of a hotel quarantine in Australia.^[305] However, while being interviewed by the Australian Border Force in January 2022, Djokovic confirmed to the officer interviewing him that he was unvaccinated.^[306][307]

Several commentators feel that Djokovic's stance against the COVID-19 vaccine could damage his placement among the all-time great tennis players as he would not be able to participate in the major tournaments where vaccination is required for entry^{[308][309][310][311][312][313]} while others have applauded his view of having a choice.^{[314][315][316][317]} He was unable to play the 2022 Australian Open, where he was the defending champion and the favourite to win.^[12][311] Shortly thereafter, he lost the No. 1 ranking he had held for a record 373 weeks. Due to the federal government's vaccination policy for non-US citizens, Djokovic was unable to enter the United States to play the 2022 US Open, another major tournament he was the favorite to win.^[13]

In an interview with the BBC on 15 February 2022, a few weeks after the tournament, Djokovic stated he does not associate with the wider anti-vax movement. However, he believes in personal freedom of choice and supports an individual's right to choose whether or not they receive a vaccine. He re-affirmed sticking to his principles and refusal to receive a vaccine, saying that he would be willing to forego entry into tournaments which are held in countries mandating the vaccine even if it cost him his career records and placement among the all-time great players.^[11]

Faith and religious 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 highest decoration of the Serbian Orthodox Church, for his contributions to monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and charitable work in Serbia.^[318] He has said that he admired and held in high regard Bishop Amfilohije, who played a key part in helping him through a tough time during the Yugoslav Wars.^[319]

Djokovic has been reported to meditate for up to an hour a day at the Buddhist Buddhapadipa Temple in Wimbledon as he appreciates the natural setting and serenity, and is close to monks in the complex.^[320] He has spoken of the positive power of meditation.^{[321][322][323]} He is a frequent visitor of the Bosnian town of Visoko and its park that is host to several meditation platforms.^[324]

Support of sport and sportspeople

Djokovic is a fan of Serbian football club Red Star,^[325] Italian club Milan,^[326] and Portuguese club Benfica,^[327] as well as Serbian basketball club Red Star.^[328][329] He has also shown public support for Croatia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and when faced with criticism from some within his native country of Serbia, Djokovic replied that "sports have their 'universal language,' they erase boundaries between people, [and] overcome differences in religion, race and nationality."^{[330][331][332]} Djokovic has expressed admiration for Croatian football player Luka Modrić, who plays for Real Madrid.^{[333][334][335]} He is a friend of former Serbian tennis player Ana Ivanovic, whom he has known since the two were children growing up in Serbia.^[336]

Djokovic is a member of the "Champions for Peace" club, a group of elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport. It was created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organization.^[337]

Political statements

Following Djokovic's victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round of the 2023 French Open, Djokovic wrote "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence" on the lens of a camera, in response to the recent clashes in Kosovo. The political statement was criticized as inappropriate by France's minister of sports Amélie Oudéa-Castéra.^[338]

Career statistics

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

Current through the 2024 French Open.

Grand Slam tournament finals: 36 (24 titles, 12 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	2007	US Open	Hard	Roger Federer	6–7(4–7), 6–7(2–7), 4–6
Win	2008	Australian Open	Hard	Jo-Wilfried Tsonga	4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(7–2)
Loss	2010	US Open	Hard	Rafael Nadal	4–6, 7–5, 4–6, 2–6
Win	2011	Australian Open (2)	Hard	Andy Murray	6–4, 6–2, 6–3
Win	2011	Wimbledon	Grass	Rafael Nadal	6–4, 6–1, 1–6, 6–3
Win	2011	US Open	Hard	Rafael Nadal	6–2, 6–4, 6–7(3–7), 6–1
Win	2012	Australian Open (3)	Hard	Rafael Nadal	5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 7–5
Loss	2012	French Open	Clay	Rafael Nadal	4–6, 3–6, 6–2, 5–7
Loss	2012	US Open	Hard	Andy Murray	6–7(10–12), 5–7, 6–2, 6–3, 2–6
Win	2013	Australian Open (4)	Hard	Andy Murray	6–7(2–7), 7–6(7–3), 6–3, 6–2
Loss	2013	Wimbledon	Grass	Andy Murray	4–6, 5–7, 4–6
Loss	2013	US Open	Hard	Rafael Nadal	2–6, 6–3, 4–6, 1–6
Loss	2014	French Open	Clay	Rafael Nadal	6–3, 5–7, 2–6, 4–6
Win	2014	Wimbledon (2)	Grass	Roger Federer	6–7(7–9), 6–4, 7–6(7–4), 5–7, 6–4
Win	2015	Australian Open (5)	Hard	Andy Murray	7–6(7–5), 6–7(4–7), 6–3, 6–0
Loss	2015	French Open	Clay	Stan Wawrinka	6–4, 4–6, 3–6, 4–6
Win	2015	Wimbledon (3)	Grass	Roger Federer	7–6(7–1), 6–7(10–12), 6–4, 6–3
Win	2015	US Open (2)	Hard	Roger Federer	6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–4
Win	2016	Australian Open (6)	Hard	Andy Murray	6–1, 7–5, 7–6(7–3)
Win	2016	French Open	Clay	Andy Murray	3–6, 6–1, 6–2, 6–4
Loss	2016	US Open	Hard	Stan Wawrinka	7–6(7–1), 4–6, 5–7, 3–6
Win	2018	Wimbledon (4)	Grass	Kevin Anderson	6–2, 6–2, 7–6(7–3)
Win	2018	US Open (3)	Hard	Juan Martín del Potro	6–3, 7–6(7–4), 6–3
Win	2019	Australian Open (7)	Hard	Rafael Nadal	6–3, 6–2, 6–3
Win	2019	Wimbledon (5)	Grass	Roger Federer	7–6(7–5), 1–6, 7–6(7–4), 4–6, 13–12(7–3)
Win	2020	Australian Open (8)	Hard	Dominic Thiem	6–4, 4–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4
Loss	2020	French Open	Clay	Rafael Nadal	0–6, 2–6, 5–7
Win	2021	Australian Open (9)	Hard	Daniil Medvedev	7–5, 6–2, 6–2
Win	2021	French Open (2)	Clay	Stefanos Tsitsipas	6–7(6–8), 2–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4
Win	2021	Wimbledon (6)	Grass	Matteo Berrettini	6–7(4–7), 6–4, 6–4, 6–3
Loss	2021	US Open	Hard	Daniil Medvedev	4–6, 4–6, 4–6
Win	2022	Wimbledon (7)	Grass	Nick Kyrgios	4–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–6(7–3)
Win	2023	Australian Open (10)	Hard	Stefanos Tsitsipas	6–3, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–5)
Win	2023	French Open (3)	Clay	Casper Ruud	7–6(7–1), 6–3, 7–5
Loss	2023	Wimbledon	Grass	Carlos Alcaraz	6–1, 6–7(6–8), 1–6, 6–3, 4–6
Win	2023	US Open (4)	Hard	Daniil Medvedev	6–3, 7–6(7–5), 6–3

Year–End Championships performance timeline

Year–End Championship finals: 9 (7 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	2008	Tennis Masters Cup	Hard (i)	Nikolay Davydenko	6–1, 7–5
Win	2012	ATP Finals (2)	Hard (i)	Roger Federer	7–6(8–6), 7–5
Win	2013	ATP Finals (3)	Hard (i)	Rafael Nadal	6–3, 6–4
Win	2014	ATP Finals (4)	Hard (i)	Roger Federer	w/o
Win	2015	ATP Finals (5)	Hard (i)	Roger Federer	6–3, 6–4
Loss	2016	ATP Finals	Hard (i)	Andy Murray	3–6, 4–6
Loss	2018	ATP Finals	Hard (i)	Alexander Zverev	4–6, 3–6
Win	2022	ATP Finals (6)	Hard (i)	Casper Ruud	7–5, 6–3
Win	2023	ATP Finals (7)	Hard (i)	Jannik Sinner	6–3, 6–3

Records and achievements

All-time records

Open Era records

• These records were attained in the Open Era of tennis and in ATP Masters series since 1990.
• Records in bold indicate peerless achievements.

Professional awards

• ITF World Champion (8): 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2021, 2023.
• ATP Player of the Year (8): 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023.
• Laureus World Sports Sportsman of the Year (5): 2012, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2024.^[357]

See also

• Sport in Serbia
• List of career achievements by Novak Djokovic
• List of UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors
• 2012 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations
• List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players (since 1973)
• List of Grand Slam men's singles champions
• Tennis Masters Series records and statistics

Notes

References