Novak Djokovic (born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player who is widely counted among the greatest men's players in the sport's history. He holds the men's record for Grand Slam singles titles, and his career includes a long run at the top of the world rankings and a complete set of Olympic and Davis Cup honours.
Early life and junior career
Djokovic was born in Belgrade, then part of Yugoslavia and now the capital of Serbia. His father Srdjan and mother Dijana owned the company Family Sports, which had three restaurants and a tennis academy. Several relatives were also skiers: his father, uncle and aunt were pro skiers.
He began playing tennis at the age of four. Accounts differ on when he came to the notice of his first major coach, Jelena Genčić: one source says in the summer of 1993, at 6 years old, while another says she discovered him at the age of 8. At twelve he trained at the academy of Niki Pilić in Munich, and practised there for almost two years before returning to Belgrade.
In 2001 he had a notable junior season, winning a triple European championship in singles, doubles, and team competition. He turned professional in 2003. Sources give his age as 15 in one case and 16 in another; he won his first Association of Tennis Professionals title one year later.
Rise and Grand Slam achievements
His breakthrough came in 2008, when with his victory at the 2008 Australian Open, he became the first Serbian man to win a Grand Slam tournament. In 2011 he was dominant, winning three of the four Grand Slam tournaments and rising to the summit of world tennis.
After an elbow injury weakened his results in 2017, he won the 2018 Wimbledon Championships while ranked No. 22. In the same year he brought Roger Federer's contemporary tennis great Andre Agassi on board as his new coach, after a disappointing early 2017.
His major titles total 24: 10 Australian Open, 7 Wimbledon, 4 US Open and 3 Roland-Garros crowns. This matches the overall record held by Margaret Court, who won 24 Grand Slam women's singles titles. He also holds the record for most Slam final appearances with 36.
In 2016 he completed the career Grand Slam, when he won the Australian Open after earlier winning the French Open. He is one of very few players to hold all four major titles at once; he became the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four majors simultaneously. Later he achieved a broader set of milestones: he is the only one to achieve a triple Career Grand Slam by winning all four majors at least three times.
Rankings and records
Djokovic has spent more time at No. 1 than any other man. He has been ranked No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals for a record 428 weeks, and finished as year-end No. 1 a record eight times. He has won a record 72 Big Titles, which include all four Grand Slams, all nine ATP Masters tournaments, the year-end championships and Olympic gold. On 24 March 2025 he became only the third man after Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors to clinch his 100th ATP Tour title in the Open Era.
In 2015 he reached a run of finals and wins against elite opposition. Djokovic had his most successful season in 2015, reaching a record 15 consecutive finals and winning 10 Big Titles while earning 31 victories over top-10 players.
Playing style
Djokovic is often described as one of the finest returners in the game, and his backhand and physical endurance are frequently singled out. His favourite surface is hard, and his favourite shots are the down-the-line backhand and the return of serve. His rivalries with Rafael Nadal and Federer defined much of the 2010s; he defeated Nadal and Federer a total of 10 times collectively, with a match record of 10–1 against them in the period covered by that record.
Recent seasons
In 2025 he reached all four Grand Slam semifinals but failed to reach at least one final for the first time since 2017. He finished that year as year-end No. 4.
The 2026 season began at the Athens-based base of his training and continued with a strong opening at Melbourne. He had a season record of 19–8 and one title, with his Australian Open result listed as a final. He won his 102nd career ATP Tour title in Beijing. Ranking figures vary by date across sources: one lists him at No. 11 on 28 September 2026, while a season page updated in early October gives No. 8.
Olympics and team competition
He has won one Olympic singles gold medal, at Paris 2024, and a bronze at Beijing 2008. Winning Olympic gold at Paris 2024 completed his career Golden Slam. In team competition, he led the Serbian national team to its first Davis Cup win in 2010.
Off-court activities
At the age of 20 he created the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which supports education projects for disadvantaged children. In August 2015, the foundation partnered with the World Bank to promote early childhood development in Serbia and around the world. He has also been active in poverty relief in Serbia, and reportedly decided to open a free restaurant for homeless people in Belgrade.
He served on the ATP's player body, and was president of the ATP Player Council from 2016 to 2020. He speaks several languages, including Serbian, English, Italian, German and French. He has spoken publicly about meditation, which he has described as a daily practice. He reported gluten intolerance in 2011 and, according to one source, followed a strict diet and later decided to stop eating meat. His education foundation and his interest in nutrition are both areas where he has spoken in public.
Controversies
Djokovic's career has included several disputed episodes. At the 2020 US Open he was disqualified during a fourth-round match after a ball he struck hit a line judge. In January 2022 his visa to enter Australia was cancelled over his COVID-19 vaccination status. A court overturned that first cancellation, but the government used a further ministerial power to cancel the visa again, and he left the country without competing at the tournament.
References
- Novak Djokovic: Biography, Tennis Player, Grand Slam Championbiography.com
- Novak Djokovicatptour.com
- Novak Djokovic Biography And Detailed Game Analysis - Online Tennis Instruction - Learn How To Play Your Best Tennis, Free Tennis Tipsonlinetennisinstruction.com
- Novak Djokovic career timeline: Medals, records, results, highlights, stats, earnings, events, recent news, training, athlete updatesnbcolympics.com
- Novak Djokovicbritannica.com
- Novak DJOKOVIC - Tennis Titles, Ranking & Profilerolandgarros.com
- Novak Djokovicen.wikipedia.org
- Novak Djokovic's Grand Slam titles, tennis records and statsolympics.com
- List of career achievements by Novak Djokovicen.wikipedia.org
- 2025 Novak Djokovic tennis seasonen.wikipedia.org
- 2026 Novak Djokovic tennis seasonen.wikipedia.org
- What’s Next for Novak Djokovic in 2026 After Early Shanghai Exit? - Yahoo Sportssports.yahoo.com
- The Life of Novak Djokovicbrut.media
- Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal: grand slam wins, big titles and career recordstheweek.com
- Novak Djokovic 2026 ATP Seasonstats.tennismylife.org
- Novak Djokovic junior yearsen.wikipedia.org
- Srdjan Djokovicen.wikipedia.org
- 2024 Novak Djokovic tennis seasonen.wikipedia.org