Novak Djokovic | best 2025

Information

Novak Djokovic (born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the world No. 1 in men’s singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for a record 428 weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 a record eight times. Djokovic has won 101 ATP Tour–level singles titles, including a record 24 majors (among which a record ten Australian Open titles), a record 40 Masters, a record seven year-end championships, and an Olympic gold medal.

Novak 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 accomplished twice. Djokovic is the only player in singles to have won all of the Big Titles over the course of his career.

Novak 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. Djokovic had his most successful season in 2015, reaching a record 15 consecutive finals and winning a record 10 Big Titles while earning a record 31 victories over top 10 players. 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 and setting a rankings points record of 16,950.

In 2017, Novak 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 then returned to a dominant status, winning 12 major titles and completing his second and third Career Grand Slams. Due to his opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine, he was forced to skip many tournaments in 2022, notably the Australian Open and the US Open, being deported from the country in the former case. One year after

The Australian visa controversy, he made a successful comeback to reclaim the 2023 Australian Open trophy, and shortly after claimed the all-time record for most men’s singles majors titles. In 2024, he became the only player to complete a career sweep of the Big Titles.

Beyond competition, Novak 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), which he co-founded with Vasek Pospisil, citing the need for players to have more influence on the tour and advocating better prize money structure for lower-ranked players. Djokovic is an active philanthropist. He is the founder of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which is committed to supporting children from disadvantaged communities. Djokovic was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2015.

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. His two younger brothers, Marko and Djordje, have also played professional tennis.

Novak Djokovic began playing tennis at the age of four, 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”. His parents then sent him to a tennis camp in Novi Sad. 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 at Mount Kopaonik, where Djokovic’s parents ran a fast-food parlour. Genčić worked with

Novak 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. Djokovic has credited Genčić for “shaping my mind as a human being, but also as a professional”.

His father also took him to train at academies in the United States, Italy, and Germany. 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. He believes the impact this had on him could be the reason behind his prowess under pressure.

Career

2001–2003: Juniors

In 2001, Novak Djokovic dominated the U14 circuit on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour, winning his first title in a second-category tournament in Messina, defeating compatriot Bojan Božović in the final, and his second in Livorno, where he beat top seed Andy Murray in the semifinals and second seed Aljoscha Thron in the final. In July, he won the U14 European Championship in Sanremo, defeating Lukáš Lacko in singles and the doubles with Božović against Russians Alexandre

Krasnoroutskiy and Mikhail Bekker. He led Serbia to victory in the European Summer Cup, finishing the year as European champion in singles, doubles, and team events. He also earned a silver medal at the ITF World Junior Championship U14 team competition for Yugoslavia. Novak Djokovic ended 2001 ranked No. 1 on the ETA U14 list, with Murray in second place.

In 2002, now competing in U16 events, Novak Djokovic won two major tournaments in France: the Derby Cadets in La Baule, defeating Gaël Monfils in the final, and Le Pontet in Avignon. In September, he won his first ITF title in Pančevo, winning all matches in straight sets, including over No. 1 seed David Savić in the final. In November, Novak Djokovic won the Prince Cup in Miami, defeating Stephen Bass in the final, shortly before competing at the Junior Orange Bowl, where he reached the third round before losing to Marcos Baghdatis.

Overall, Novak Djokovic compiled a 40–11 singles and 23–6 doubles record in juniors, achieving a combined junior world ranking of No. 24 in February 2004. His best junior Grand Slam result was reaching the semifinals of the 2004 Australian Open. He also competed at the 2003 French Open and 2003 US Open.

2006: First ATP titles and major quarterfinal

On 9 April 2006, Novak Djokovic secured a Davis Cup win for Serbia and Montenegro by defeating Greg Rusedski in four sets, giving his team a 3–1 lead over Great Britain and retaining their place in the Group One Euro/African Zone. Around this time, the media reported his family had discussions with the Lawn Tennis Association about representing Great Britain. Djokovic, then world No. 64, initially dismissed the story, calling it a kind gesture following the tie. In 2009, he confirmed the talks were underway.

Serious but chose to represent Serbia, stating he felt a strong national identity and wanted to remain true to it. At the French Open, Novak Djokovic, then world No. 63, defeated ninth seed Fernando González en route to his first Grand Slam quarterfinal, where he retired against Rafael Nadal after two sets in their first career meeting, launching their historic rivalry. His performance pushed him into the top 40. At Wimbledon, he reached the fourth round before losing to Mario Ančić in five sets.

Djokovic claimed his first ATP title at the Dutch Open in Amersfoort, defeating Nicolás Massú in the final without dropping a set. He won his second title at the Moselle Open in Metz, beating Jürgen Melzer, and broke into the top 20. He also made his first Masters quarterfinal at Madrid. He ended the season ranked No. 16, the youngest in the top 20.

2007: First Masters title and major final, top 3

Novak Djokovic began 2007 by winning the Adelaide title, then reached the fourth round of the 2007 Australian Open, losing to eventual champion Roger Federer in straight sets. Strong showings at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters, where he finished runner-up and champion, respectively, propelled him into the top 10. In Miami, he defeated Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and Guillermo Cañas in the final, earning his first Masters title and becoming the youngest champion there since Andre Agassi in 1990.

He helped Serbia defeat Georgia in the Davis Cup, contributing a singles win. On clay, he won the Estoril Open against Richard Gasquet and reached the quarterfinals in Rome and Hamburg, losing to Nadal and Carlos Moyá, respectively. At the French Open, he made his first major semifinal, falling to Nadal. At Wimbledon, Djokovic won a five-hour quarterfinal over Marcos Baghdatis before retiring in the semifinals against Nadal due to elbow issues.

Novak Djokovic’s breakthrough continued at the Canadian Open, where he defeated world No. 3 Andy Roddick, No. 2 Nadal, and No. 1 Federer to claim the title. He became the first player since Boris Becker in 1994 to beat the top three-ranked players in a single event, and only the second after Tomáš Berdych to defeat Federer and Nadal as world No. 1 and 2. Björn Borg remarked that Djokovic was “definitely a contender to win a major.”

Grand Slam.” Djokovic then went on to reach his first major final at the US Open, where he had five set points in the first set and two in the second, but lost them all before ultimately losing the match in straight sets to the top-seeded Federer. He won his fifth title of the year at the Vienna Open, defeating Stanislas Wawrinka in the final, and finished the year ranked No. 3.

2008: First Major title, ATP Finals title

Novak Djokovic began the year at the Hopman Cup alongside fellow Serbian Jelena Janković. He won all four of his singles matches, including a final win over Mardy Fish, but Serbia lost the decisive mixed doubles rubber against the United States. The event also marked his first competitive match against Serena Williams.

At the Australian Open, Djokovic reached the final without dropping a set, defeating two-time defending champion Roger Federer in the semifinals. By reaching the semis, he became the youngest Open Era player to make the last four at all four majors. He beat unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets in the final, claiming his first Grand Slam singles title. It was the first major title since the 2005 Australian Open not won by Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal.

Novak Djokovic then reached the semifinals in Dubai and won titles at Indian Wells and the Italian Open, his third and fourth Masters titles, respectively. He lost to Nadal in the semifinals of both Hamburg and the 2008 French Open. On grass, he fell to Nadal in the Queen’s Club final and suffered a second-round loss at Wimbledon to Marat Safin, ending a streak of five straight major semifinals.

He was a quarterfinalist at the Rogers Cup and a finalist in Cincinnati, ending Nadal’s 32-match win streak in the semifinals. In the final, he again lost to Andy Murray. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, he earned a bronze medal in the singles event and exited in the first round in doubles with partner Nenad Zimonjić.

In November, Djokovic won his first year-end championship title at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, beating Nikolay Davydenko in the final.

2020: Australian Open title, 2nd Career Golden Masters

At the inaugural 2020 ATP Cup, Novak Djokovic led Serbia to victory with six wins, including over Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals and Rafael Nadal in the final. At the Australian Open, he beat Roger Federer in the semifinals and defeated Dominic Thiem in five sets in the final, earning his eighth Australian Open and 17th Grand Slam title. He regained the world No. 1 ranking.

Ranking and became the first player in the Open Era to win Grand Slams in three different decades. It was also his first comeback win from two sets to one down in a major final. Djokovic then claimed his fifth title at the Dubai Championships, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final. In June, during the Adria Tour he organized, Djokovic tested positive for COVID-19, along with several other participants, prompting criticism over the event’s lack of safety protocols.

Novak Djokovic later apologized, saying they believed the tournament met all health guidelines, but acknowledged they “were wrong”. He later described the criticism as part of a “witch hunt”. Djokovic was disqualified from the US Open during his fourth-round match after taking a ball and hitting it towards the advertising hoarding, unintentionally striking a lineswoman in the process. Djokovic lost in straight sets in the French Open final to Nadal.

2023: Record-breaking 24th major & 7th ATP Finals titles

Novak Djokovic opened the year with his 92nd title at the Adelaide International, saving a championship point to beat Sebastian Korda. At the Australian Open, despite a hamstring issue, he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final to claim a record-extending 10th title and reclaim the No. 1 ranking. He missed the Indian Wells and 2023 Miami Open due to U.S. entry restrictions.

During the clay season, he exited early at the Monte-Carlo Masters and Banja Luka Open, and lost in the Rome quarterfinals. At the French Open, Novak Djokovic defeated world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals and beat Casper Ruud in the final to win a record-breaking 23rd major, becoming the first man to achieve a triple Career Grand Slam. He also regained the top ranking.

At Wimbledon, Djokovic reached his 9th final but lost to Alcaraz in five sets, ending a 34-match winning streak at the tournament. Djokovic then won the Cincinnati Open, beating Alcaraz in 3 hours and 49 minutes in the longest best-of-three-set ATP final, hailed as one of the greatest matches ever. At the US Open, he triumphed over Medvedev in straight sets to win his fourth US Open title and a record-extending 24th men’s singles major title overall. Djokovic became the oldest US Open men’s singles champion in the Open Era.

Djokovic ended his season by winning the ATP Finals, clinching the year-end No.1 ranking for a record eighth time.

2025: 100th ATP title and further records broken

Novak Djokovic opened the 2025 season at the Brisbane International, losing to Reilly Opelka in the quarterfinals. His second-round match at the Australian Open marked his 430th career major main draw singles match, surpassing Roger Federer’s all-time record. He beat Carlos Alcaraz in four sets in the quarterfinals. Djokovic retired in his semifinal match due to injury.

against Alexander Zverev due to a muscle tear after only one set was played.

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Against Alexander Zverev, he retired due to a muscle tear after only one set was played.

At Doha, he lost to Matteo Berrettini in the first round, marking the first time Novak Djokovic lost in any first round since the 2016 Summer Olympics. Djokovic’s next tournament was the Indian Wells Open, where he suffered a second-round defeat to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp – the second year in a row where he lost to a lucky loser at the same tournament, following Luca Nardi.

At the 2025 Miami Open, Djokovic beat lucky loser Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the third round to claim his record 411th career main draw win at the Masters 1000 level. He lost in the final to Jakub Menšík.

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Legacy

Novak 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. Some media outlets, including Reuters, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, Marca, Forbes, Tennis World USA, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and SportingNews have named Djokovic the greatest male tennis player in history.

Novak Djokovic has won a record 72 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 (a feat no other player has achieved even once), and has a winning head-to-head record over his greatest rivals in one of the strongest eras of tennis. 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. Pat Cash emphasized that Djokovic is one of two players who have beaten Rafael Nadal at the French Open, which he regards as “the biggest challenge in tennis.”

Richard Krajicek and The Roar stated that Djokovic should be considered the greatest of all time because he is the only player among his rivals to have won all four majors consecutively. 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.”

Rafael Nadal has praised Djokovic’s peak level of performance, stating in 2011 (when he went 0–6 against him for the season) that Djokovic’s level was “probably the highest level of tennis that I ever saw.” Nadal reiterated this after a one-sided loss in the 2016 Qatar Open final, saying, “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.” In 2017, Nadal added that “at a technical level, when Novak Djokovic has been at the top of his game, I have to say that I’ve been up against an invincible player.”

In 2023, former world No. 7 Mardy Fish also declared that Djokovic in 2011 was the “best player of all time.” In the same year, 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.”