Novak Đoković
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| Image:Novak Djokovic 2007 Australian Open R1.jpg Đoković at 2007 Australian Open | ||
| Nickname(s) | 'Nole'[1] | |
| Country | Image:Flag of Serbia.svg Serbia | |
| Residence | Monte Carlo, Monaco | |
| Date of birth | May 22 1987 | |
| Place of birth | Belgrade, Serbia, then SFR Yugoslavia | |
| Height | 6 ft 1.5 in (1.87 m) | |
| Weight | 176 lb (80 kg/12.6 st) | |
| Turned Pro | 2003 | |
| Retired | Active | |
| Plays | Right-handed; two-handed backhand | |
| Career Prize Money | US$ $4,218,550 | |
| Singles | ||
| Career record: | 121-51 | |
| Career titles: | 7 | |
| Highest ranking: | No. 3 (July 9, 2007) | |
| Grand Slam results | ||
| Australian Open | 4r (2007) | |
| French Open | SF (2007) | |
| Wimbledon | SF (2007) | |
| U.S. Open | F (2007) | |
| Doubles | ||
| Career record: | 13-23 | |
| Career titles: | 0 | |
| Highest ranking: | No. 134 (August 20, 2007) | |
|
Infobox last updated on: November 6, 2007. | ||
- The title of this article contains the following characters: Đ and Ć. Where they are unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Novak Djokovic.
Novak Đoković (commonly spelled Djokovic in English-language sources,[1],[2],[3] Serbian Cyrillic: Новак Ђоковић[4], pronounced [ˈnɔvaːk 'ʥɔːkɔviʨ], listen ) is a Serbian tennis player who turned professional in 2003. An up-and-coming player at 20 years of age, Đoković has already proven himself to be an all-court player with an abundance of talent. His major achievements have come in 2007, where he was the runner-up at the U.S. Open and reached three Masters Series finals, winning in Miami and Montréal. Also, he reached the semifinals at French Open and Wimbledon. His highest ranking on the ATP Tour is World Number 3, which he reached on July 9, 2007.
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[edit] Personal
Novak Đoković was born May 22, 1987 in Belgrade, then-Yugoslavia. He is the oldest child of father Srđan and mother Dijana.[1] In addition to Novak, there are two younger sons, Đorđe and Marko. Đoković started playing tennis at age 4, and when 12 he attended the Nikola Pilić Academy (for tennis) in Munich.[1] Đoković speaks Serbian, German and English. Novak's parents own a restraunt in Serbia which he claims to specialize in pizza and pancakes.[1] He resides in Monte Carlo, Monaco and is coached by a former Slovak tennis player, Marián Vajda.[5]
He often does humorous off-court impersonations of his fellow players, many of whom he is friends with.[6] This became evident to the tennis world after his 2007 US Open quarterfinal win over Carlos Moyà, where he entertained the audience with impersonations of Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova.[3]
Đoković has expressed pro-Yugoslav views since he was mistakenly announced as a Croat after winning the 2007 Canada Masters commenting, "don't worry, I'm not mad, it's the same thing."[7] Since then he has said in an interview with Radio Television of Serbia that he considers Serbs and Croats to be the same people adding, "we lived together for years in the same country and now we are unfortunately divided."[8]
[edit] Tennis career
[edit] 2003-2005
In the beginning of this professional career, Ðoković mainly played in Futures and Challenger tournaments, winning three of each type of tournament.
[edit] 2006
He participated in the 2006 Hopman Cup with fellow Serbian player Ana Ivanović where the pairing narrowly missed the final.
He continued his great run in 2006 by shooting up the rankings. In May 2006, various reports appeared in the British media about Novak's mother Dijana reportedly approaching Britain's Lawn Tennis Association about her son joining British tennis ranks and the possibility of their entire 5-person family moving from Serbia to live in Britain.[9] All the rumours didn't affect Đoković's play, however. He started 2006 ranked 78th, but with an excellent run to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and a fourth round appearance at Wimbledon, he found himself in the top 40. Just three weeks after Wimbledon he won his maiden title in Amersfoort without losing a set defeating Nicolás Massú in the final. Đoković won his second career title in Metz and with this victory moved into the top 20 for the first time in his career.
[edit] 2007
Đoković began a successful year by winning in Adelaide, defeating Australian Chris Guccione in the final. At the 2007 Australian Open, he reached the fourth round, where he lost to eventual champion Roger Federer in straight sets.
In 2007, his performances in the Masters Series events at Indian Wells and Miami, where he was runner-up and champion respectively, pushed him well into the world's top ten. In those tournaments, which were his first and second Masters finals, he defeated fellow rising star Andy Murray in the semi finals without dropping a set in either match. He lost the Indian Wells final to Rafael Nadal, but avenged this defeat by beating Nadal in the Miami event, before defeating the resurgent Guillermo Cañas in the final (6-3, 6-2, 6-4). He later played in the prestigious Monte Carlo Open, only to be defeated by David Ferrer in his third round match in straight sets. He reached the quarterfinals of both Rome and Hamburg Masters, but lost to Carlos Moyà and Nadal, respectively. At the tournament in Estoril, Đoković defeated Frenchman Richard Gasquet 7-6, 0-6, 6-1, in the final.
At the French Open he reached his first Grand Slam semifinal ever, where he lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.
During the 2007 Wimbledon Championships, he won an epic match against Marcos Baghdatis in the quarter finals. The match ended 7-6 (4), 7-6 (9), 6-7 (3), 4-6, 7-5 and lasted 5 hours, just 5 minutes shy of the longest singles match in a single day in Wimbledon history. In his semi-final match, he was forced to retire against Rafael Nadal due to a back injury and foot problem.
He garnered further success in the Masters Series, winning the 2007 Canada Masters. In the final he defeated top seeded Roger Federer 7-6 (2), 2-6, 7-6 (2). In reaching the championship, he achieved the remarkable feat of defeating the World Nos. 1, 2 and 3 (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick, respectively) on three consecutive days. This is the first time a player has accomplished this since Boris Becker in 1994. Moreover, Đoković became only the 2nd person, after Tomáš Berdych, to have defeated both Federer and Nadal since they became the dominant #1 and #2 players in the world. His successful performance made Björn Borg state that Đoković "is definitely a contender to win a Grand Slam."[10] However, Đoković's appearance the following week at the Cincinnati Masters, resulted disappointingly with a straight-set loss to Carlos Moyà in the 2nd round.
He nevertheless came to the 2007 U.S. Open with a lot of confidence and expectation and reached the final where he lost to top-seeded Federer 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-4. On his way to the final, Đoković won an epic 5-set 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5), 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (2) second round match against Radek Štěpánek after nearly 5 hours of play.
Đoković returned after a minor injury to Vienna, to beat Stanislas Wawrinka in the final 6-4, 6-0 and take his 5th title of the year. The win enables Đoković to gain closer on Rafael Nadal in the ATP Tour Rankings. Đoković's next tournament was the prestigous Madrid Masters, where he lost to David Nalbandian 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the semifinals, an improvement on the previous years finish. At the 2007 Paris Masters, he was upset by Frenchman Fabrice Santoro.
Đoković, then assured of finishing third, went to Shanghai for the 2007 Tennis Masters Cup, being the first player to arrive. Đoković was also the first player to exit the tournmanent, losing his first two matches of the round-robin format to David Ferrer 6-4, 6-4, Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-2. In his last match he lost to Nadal 6-4, 6-4.
[edit] Davis Cup
He is good friends with fellow junior graduate (and sometimes doubles partner) Andy Murray, who was part of the Great Britain team that Serbia and Montenegro defeated in the Davis Cup in Glasgow in April 2006. Đoković got the decisive win on 9th April, by defeating Greg Rusedski in four sets in the fourth match, giving his team a 3-1 lead in their best of 5 series. He now represents Serbia, as the country gained independence in June 2006. By winning all of his three matches, Đoković played a key role in the 2007 play-off win over Australia, promoting Serbia to World Group in 2008.
[edit] Playing style
Đoković is an all-court player. He has great groundstrokes, especially the forehand, which is powerful, deep, well-angled, and hit with strong topspin. With excellent speed, his serve is one of his major weapons. However, this has in recent times come to some criticism as Đoković chooses to bounce the ball more times than some feel is necessary before serving. On the other hand, some feel this is a tactic that has worked well for Đoković and his playing style. Đoković, while very sound and powerful from the baseline, often finishes points by coming to the net. He also includes a dropshot/slice backhand in his shot repertoire, which is less stressful to the body than heavy, penetrating topspin shots from the baseline.
[edit] Equipment
Đoković is sponsored by Wilson and adidas. He uses a heavily customised Wilson n-Blade equipped with a hybrid of Technifibre and Wilson strings. Đoković also wears the Adidas Barricade IV shoe and the adidas YOC Group for clothing.
[edit] Career statistics
[edit] Grand Slam singles finals (1)
Runner-up (1)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2007 | U.S. Open | Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Roger Federer | 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 |
[edit] ATP Masters Series singles finals (3)
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2007 | Miami | Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Guillermo Cañas | 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 |
| 2007 | Montréal | Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Roger Federer | 7-6, 2-6, 7-6 |
Runner-up (1)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2007 | Indian Wells | Image:Flag of Spain.svg Rafael Nadal | 6-2, 7-5 |
[edit] Career finals (11)
[edit] Singles (10)
Wins (7)
|
|
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | July 17, 2006 | Amersfoort, Netherlands | Clay | Image:Flag of Chile.svg Nicolás Massú | 7-6(5), 6-4 |
| 2. | October 2, 2006 | Metz, France | Hard (I) | Image:Flag of Austria.svg Jürgen Melzer | 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
| 3. | January 1, 2007 | Adelaide, Australia | Hard | Image:Flag of Australia.svg Chris Guccione | 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-4 |
| 4. | April 1, 2007 | Miami, U.S. | Hard | Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Guillermo Cañas | 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 |
| 5. | April 29, 2007 | Estoril, Portugal | Clay | Image:Flag of France.svg Richard Gasquet | 7-6(7), 0-6, 6-1 |
| 6. | August 12, 2007 | Montréal, Canada | Hard | Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Roger Federer | 7-6(2), 2-6, 7-6(2) |
| 7. | October 14, 2007 | Vienna, Austria | Hard (I) | Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Stanislas Wawrinka | 6-4, 6-0 |
Runner-ups (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | 30 July, 2006 | Umag, Croatia | Clay | Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Stanislas Wawrinka | 6-6(1) ret. |
| 2. | 18 March, 2007 | Indian Wells, U.S. | Hard | Image:Flag of Spain.svg Rafael Nadal | 6-2, 7-5 |
| 3. | 9 September, 2007 | U.S. Open, New York, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Roger Federer | 7-6(4), 7-6(2), 6-4 |
[edit] Doubles (1)
Runner-up (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents in the final | Score |
| 1. | January 7, 2007 | Adelaide, Australia | Hard | Image:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Radek Štěpánek | Image:Flag of South Africa.svg Wesley Moodie & Image:Flag of Australia.svg Todd Perry | 6-4, 3-6, 15-13 |
[edit] Singles performance timeline
To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through the 2007 Tennis Masters Cup tournament, which ended on November 13, 2007.
| Tournament | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | Career SR | Career W-L | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slams | ||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | A | 1R | 1R | 4R | 0 / 3 | 3-3 | ||||||||
| French Open | A | 2R | QF | SF | 0 / 3 | 10-3 | ||||||||
| Wimbledon | A | 3R | 4R | SF | 0 / 3 | 10-3 | ||||||||
| U.S. Open | A | 3R | 3R | F | 0 / 3 | 10-3 | ||||||||
| Grand Slam SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 12 | N/A | ||||||||
| Grand Slam Win-Loss | 0-0 | 5-4 | 9-4 | 19-4 | N/A | 33-12 | ||||||||
| Olympic Games | ||||||||||||||
| Summer Olympics | A | NH | NH | NH | 0 / 0 | 0-0 | ||||||||
| Year-End Championship | ||||||||||||||
| Tennis Masters Cup | A | A | A | RR | 0 / 1 | 0-3 | ||||||||
| ATP Masters Series | ||||||||||||||
| Indian Wells Masters | A | A | 1R | F | 0 / 2 | 5-2 | ||||||||
| Miami Masters | A | A | 2R | W | 1 / 2 | 7-1 | ||||||||
| Monte Carlo Masters | A | A | 1R | 3R | 0 / 2 | 1-2 | ||||||||
| Rome Masters | A | A | LQ | QF | 0 / 1 | 2-1 | ||||||||
| Hamburg Masters | A | A | 2R | QF | 0 / 2 | 3-2 | ||||||||
| Canada Masters | A | LQ | A | W | 1 / 1 | 5-0 | ||||||||
| Cincinnati Masters | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | 0 / 3 | 1-3 | ||||||||
| Madrid Masters | A | LQ | QF | SF | 0 / 2 | 5-2 | ||||||||
| Paris Masters | A | 3R | 2R | 2R | 0 / 3 | 2-3 | ||||||||
| Career Statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Runner-ups | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | N/A | 3 | ||||||||
| Tournament Titles | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | N/A | 7 | ||||||||
| Hardcourt Win-Loss | 0-1 | 2-3 | 17-9 | 43-11 | N/A | 62-24 | ||||||||
| Grass Win-Loss | 0-0 | 2-1 | 4-2 | 6-2 | N/A | 12-5 | ||||||||
| Carpet Win-Loss | 1-0 | 3-2 | 5-2 | 1-1 | N/A | 10-5 | ||||||||
| Clay Win-Loss | 1-2 | 4-5 | 14-5 | 18-5 | N/A | 37-17 | ||||||||
| Overall Win-Loss | 2-3 | 11-11 | 40-18 | 68-19 | N/A | 121-51 | ||||||||
| Win % | 40% | 50% | 69% | 78% | N/A | 70% | ||||||||
| Year End Ranking | 186 | 78 | 16 | 3 | N/A | N/A | ||||||||
- A = did not participate in the tournament.
- LQ = lost in qualifying draw.
- SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
[edit] Challengers and futures titles (6)
| Legend |
| Challengers (3) |
| Futures (3) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | June 23, 2003 | Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro | Clay | Image:Flag of Spain.svg César Ferrer-Victoria | 6-4, 7-5 |
| 2. | May 3, 2004 | Szolnok, Hungary | Clay | Image:Flag of Slovenia.svg Marko Tkalec | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 3. | May 17, 2004 | Budapest, Hungary | Clay | Image:Flag of Italy.svg Daniele Bracciali | 6-1, 6-2 |
| 4. | August 9, 2004 | Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro | Clay | Image:Flag of Italy.svg Flavio Cipolla | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 5. | November 1, 2004 | Aachen, Germany | Carpet | Image:Flag of Germany.svg Lars Burgsmüller | 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 |
| 6. | May 9, 2005 | San Remo, Italy | Clay | Image:Flag of Italy.svg Francesco Aldi | 6-3, 7-6(4) |
[edit] ATP Tour career earnings
| Year | Majors | ATP wins | Total wins | Earnings ($) | Money list rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2,704 | 937 |
| 2004 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 40,790 | 292 |
| 2005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 202,416 | 114 |
| 2006 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 644,940 | 28 |
| 2007 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 3,927,700 | 3 |
| Career | 0 | 7 | 7 | 4,818,550 | 79 |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e The Official Internet Site of Novak Djokovic. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
- ^ Djokovic battles into last eight. BBC Sport (2007-09-08). Retrieved on 2007-09-17.
- ^ a b MacPherson, Paul (2007-09-10). Joker in the Pack Holds All the Aces. DEUCE Magazine, summer 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-12.
- ^ http://www.rtv.co.yu/sr_ci/vesti/sport/tenis/2007_09_07/vest_31943.jsp
- ^ ITF Tennis - Mens Circuit - Player Biography. Retrieved on 2007-08-14.
- ^ Video examples of Đjoković impersonating Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova can be found here, here, or here.
- ^ Youtube clip Montreal: "Croat" Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer (2007-08-13). Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
- ^ Đjoković: I consider Serbs and Croats to be the same people(In Croatian) (2007-09-28). Retrieved on 2007-10-28.
- ^ Hodgkinson, Mark (2006-05-17). Serbian may join British ranks. Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
- ^ Borg: 'Djokovic can win a Grand Slam'. BlackRock Tour of Champions (2007-08-13). Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official site (English) (Serbian)
- ATP Tour profile for Novak Đoković
- Đoković Recent Match Results
- Đoković World Ranking History
- Novak Djoković - info, news, standings, photos and videos
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Rafael Nadal | ATP Most Improved Player 2006 | Succeeded by – |
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