Novak Djokovic hails from Serbia. He has been phenomenal so far in his career as he maintained the top spot for a record total of 384 weeks, finishing as the year-end No. 1 an Open Era record seven times. On the ATP Tour, he won a total of 93 singles, including a joint-record 22 majors, 10 Australian Opens, 38 Masters, a joint-record six Tour Finals, and 66 Grand championships.
Djokovic has completed a non-calendar year Grand Slam in singles, making him the only man in tennis history to be the reigning champion of all four majors on three surfaces simultaneously. He is also the first player to accomplish the lifetime Golden Masters in singles by winning all nine Masters events, which he has done twice.
| Name | Novak Djokovic |
| Nationality | Serbia |
| DOB | 22.05.1987 |
| Pro Card | 2003 |
| Weight | 170lbs |
| Height | 6’2” |
| Playing Style | Right Handed, Two-Handed Backhand |
| Coach | Goran Ivanisevic |
Djokovic Career Highlights
- Djokovic’s professional career began in 2003.
- By winning the 2008 Australian Open at age 20, he ended Roger Federer’s and Rafael Nadal’s streaks of 11 consecutive Grand Slam tournament triumphs.
- Djokovic became No. 1 for the first time at 24, winning three majors and five Masters Championships in 2011.
- Djokovic reached 15 straight finals in 2015 and won a season-high 10 Grand Titles. His dominance continued until the 2016 French Open, when he completed a non-calendar year Grand Slam and his maiden career Grand Slam, becoming the first player since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four major championships at the same time and establishing a ranking points record (16,950).
- Following an injury-related slump in form in 2017, Djokovic reclaimed his dominance at the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, sweeping three consecutive majors and reclaiming the world No. 1 ranking. Djokovic won the first three majors of the year in 2021 and sought to complete a Grand Slam at the US Open, but was defeated in the final by Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic has won 10 of the past 18 majors as of the 2023 Australian Open.
- Djokovic led Serbia to their first Davis Cup championship in 2010 and the inaugural ATP Cup title in 2020 while representing Serbia. He also earned a bronze medal for Serbia at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Djokovic has received four Laureus World Sportsman of the Year awards (2012, 2015, 2016, and 2019), the BBC Sports Personality World Sport Star of the Year award in 2011 and the L’Équipe Champion of Champions award in 2021. He also has the Order of St. Sava, the Order of Karaore’s Star, and the Order of the Republika Srpska.
Also Read: Djokovic Surpass Nadal French Open Record
Djokovic Biggest Rivalries
Djokovic has won against most of his best contemporaries, including his fellow Big Three rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic-Rafael Rivalry
Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have played each other 59 times, including all four major finals, an Open-Era record for head-to-head meetings amongst male players. Djokovic has a 30-29 advantage. Djokovic leads on hard courts by a score of 20-7, while Nadal leads on clay by a score of 20-8, and they are tied on grass by a score of 2-2. They have played a record 18 major matches, with Nadal winning 11 of them, and a record nine major event finals (tied with Federer-Nadal), with Nadal winning five.
Djokovic is the first player to have at least 10 match victories against Nadal and the first guy to beat him seven times in a row, which he achieved twice. At the 2012 Australian Open final, the two tied for the record for the longest major final match ever (5 hours and 53 minutes).
Djokovic–Federer Rivalry
Djokovic lost to Roger Federer in his maiden major final at the 2007 US Open in straight sets. They played 50 times (not including one walkover in Djokovic’s favor), with Djokovic winning 27 of the matches. He leads on hard courts 20-18 and on grass 3-1, tied on clay 4-4.
Djokovic had more victories over Federer than any other player. They have competed in 17 major matches, with Djokovic winning 11. Djokovic is the only player, other than Nadal, to have defeated Federer in successive major event matches. Federer halted Djokovic’s 41-match winning streak in the 2011 French Open semifinals.
The next year, though, Djokovic defeated Federer in straight sets. Federer’s most recent major final came against Djokovic at the Wimbledon Championships in 2019. Djokovic prevailed in five sets, with the fifth set coming to a tiebreak, in the longest Wimbledon final in history. Their most recent meeting was in the 2020 Australian Open semifinals, which Djokovic won in straight sets.
Djokovic–Murray Rivalry
Djokovic has defeated Andy Murray 36 times, with Djokovic winning 25-11. On clay, Djokovic leads 5-1, on hard courts, he leads 20-8, and on grass, Murray leads 2-0. Murray is a week older than Djokovic and is about the same age. They went to a training camp together, and Murray won their first match as teenagers.
In finals, the pair have met 19 times, and Djokovic leads 11-8. Ten were Masters finals, with a 5-5 tie. Their most memorable encounter in this category was a three-set thriller in the final of the 2012 Shanghai Masters, in which Murray had five championship point opportunities in the second set. Still, Djokovic saved each one, forcing a decisive set.
He finally won his first Shanghai Masters championship, snapping Murray’s 12-0 winning streak at the tournament. This match and the three-set battle they played in Rome in 2011 were named ATP Tour Matches of the Year for their respective seasons. They’ve also faced each other in seven major finals, with Djokovic winning five.
Djokovic-Medvedev Rivalry
Djokovic has a 9-5 advantage over Daniil Medvedev in 14 meetings. They contested two major finals, with Djokovic winning the Australian Open in 2021 and Medvedev winning his first major championship at the US Open in 2021, halting Djokovic’s quest for a calendar-year Grand Slam.
Djokovic won their first two matches in 2017, the Davis Cup and the Aegon International Eastbourne. They met for the first time in a major in the fourth round of the 2019 Australian Open, with Djokovic winning in four sets.
Medvedev increased their head-to-head record to 3-2 with three-set victories in the 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters quarterfinals and the 2019 Western & Southern Open semifinals, the latter of which Medvedev went on to win for his first ATP Masters 1000 championship. In 2021, they faced off in three finals, with Djokovic winning the Australian Open and the Paris Masters and Medvedev winning the US Open.
When Medvedev ascended to the world’s No. 1 ranking for the first time in February 2022, he replaced Djokovic.
Djokovic-Tsitsipas Rivalry
Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas have met 13 times, with Djokovic winning 11 of them, including the finals of the 2021 French Open and the 2023 Australian Open.
Their first match was in the third round of the 2018 Rogers Cup, when Tsitsipas, then 19 years old and rated No. 27, stunned Djokovic in three sets. Djokovic avenged this defeat by defeating Tsitsipas in straight sets to win the 2019 Mutua Madrid Open. Tstisipas won their next match in three sets in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Rolex Shanghai Masters, bringing their head-to-head to 2-1 in his favor. Djokovic then won their next eleven matches, including the 2020 French Open semifinal, 2021 French Open final, 2021 Italian Open final, and 2023 Australian Open final, in which they also competed for the world No. 1 ranking.
Djokovic’s Grand Slam Record
| Year | Tournament | Result | Surface | Opponent |
| 2007 | US Open | Loss | Hard | Switzerland Roger Federer |
| 2008 | Australian Open | Win | Hard | France Jo-Wilfried Tsonga |
| 2010 | US Open | Loss | Hard | Spain Rafael Nadal |
| 2011 | Australian Open (2) | Win | Hard | United Kingdom Andy Murray |
| 2011 | Wimbledon | Win | Grass | Spain Rafael Nadal |
| 2011 | US Open | Win | Hard | Spain Rafael Nadal |
| 2012 | Australian Open (3) | Win | Hard | Spain Rafael Nadal |
| 2012 | French Open | Loss | Clay | Spain Rafael Nadal |
| 2012 | US Open | Loss | Hard | United Kingdom Andy Murray |
| 2013 | Australian Open (4) | Win | Hard | United Kingdom Andy Murray |
| 2013 | Wimbledon | Loss | Grass | United Kingdom Andy Murray |
| 2013 | US Open | Loss | Hard | Spain Rafael Nadal |
| 2014 | French Open | Loss | Clay | Spain Rafael Nadal |
| 2014 | Wimbledon (2) | Win | Grass | Switzerland Roger Federer |
| 2015 | Australian Open (5) | Win | Hard | United Kingdom Andy Murray |
| 2015 | French Open | Loss | Clay | Switzerland Stan Wawrinka |
| 2015 | Wimbledon (3) | Win | Grass | Switzerland Roger Federer |
| 2015 | US Open (2) | Win | Hard | Switzerland Roger Federer |
| 2016 | Australian Open (6) | Win | Hard | United Kingdom Andy Murray |
| 2016 | French Open | Win | Clay | United Kingdom Andy Murray |
| 2016 | US Open | Loss | Hard | Switzerland Stan Wawrinka |
| 2018 | Wimbledon (4) | Win | Grass | South Africa Kevin Anderson |
| 2018 | US Open (3) | Win | Hard | Argentina Juan Martín del Potro |
| 2019 | Australian Open (7) | Win | Hard | Spain Rafael Nadal |
| 2019 | Wimbledon (5) | Win | Grass | Switzerland Roger Federer |
| 2020 | Australian Open (8) | Win | Hard | Austria Dominic Thiem |
| 2020 | French Open | Loss | Clay | Spain Rafael Nadal |
| 2021 | Australian Open (9) | Win | Hard | Russia Daniil Medvedev |
| 2021 | French Open (2) | Win | Clay | Greece Stefanos Tsitsipas |
| 2021 | Wimbledon (6) | Win | Grass | Italy Matteo Berrettini |
| 2021 | US Open | Loss | Hard | Russia Daniil Medvedev |
| 2022 | Wimbledon (7) | Win | Grass | Australia Nick Kyrgios |
| 2023 | Australian Open (10) | Win | Hard | Greece Stefanos Tsitsipas |
| 2023 | French Open (3) | Win | Clay | Norway Casper Ruud |