text:
Novak Djokovic
Djokovic at the 2011 Hopman Cup | |
Country | Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2006) Serbia (2006–present) |
Residence | Monte Carlo, Monaco |
Born | Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia | 22 May 1987
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) |
Turned pro | 2003 |
Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
Coach(es) | Marián Vajda |
Prize money | $52,945,610 |
Official website | novakdjokovic.com |
Singles | |
Career record | 521–132 (79.78%) |
Career titles | 37 |
Highest ranking | No. 1 (4 July 2011) |
Current ranking | No. 1 (9 September 2013)[1] |
Grand Slam Singles results | |
Australian Open | W (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013) |
French Open | F (2012) |
Wimbledon | W (2011) |
US Open | W (2011) |
Other tournaments | |
Tour Finals | W (2008, 2012) |
Olympic Games | Bronze Medal (2008) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 31–46 (40.26%) |
Career titles | 1 |
Highest ranking | No. 114 (30 November 2009) |
Grand Slam Doubles results | |
Australian Open | 1R (2006, 2007) |
French Open | 1R (2006) |
Wimbledon | 2R (2006) |
US Open | 1R (2006) |
Team Competitions | |
Davis Cup | W (2010) |
Hopman Cup | F (2008, 2013) |
Last updated on: 04:35, 13 September 2013 (UTC). |
Olympic medal record | ||
Competitor for Serbia | ||
Men's Tennis | ||
Bronze | 2008 Beijing | Singles |
Novak Djokovic (Serbian: Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković; pronounced [nɔ̂ʋaːk dʑɔ̂ːkɔʋitɕ] ( listen); born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player who is ranked World No. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). He is generally considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time.[a] He has won six Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2013 Australian Open; the 2011 Wimbledon Championships; and the 2011 US Open. He has spent 100 weeks in the ATP Rankings, the ninth man in history to reach the milestone.[12] He is the first serbian player, male or female, to rank No. 1 for more than 100 weeks.
By winning three Grand Slam titles in 2011, Djokovic became the sixth male player in the Open Era to win three Grand Slams in a calendar year. He is the first male player representing Serbia to win a Grand Slam singles title. By reaching the 2012 French Open final, he became the ninth player in the Open Era to reach the final of all four Grand Slam singles tournaments (and became only the fifth to do so consecutively). Amongst other titles, he won the Tennis Masters Cup in 2008 and 2012 and was on the Serbian team which won the 2010 Davis Cup. He also won the Bronze medal in men's singles at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. He has won 14 Masters 1000 series titles (breaking a single-season record with five titles in 2011), placing him fourth on the list since its inception in 1990.
He holds several men's world records of the Open Era: becoming the youngest player in the Open Era to have reached the semifinals of all four Grand Slam events both separately and consecutively;[13] the first and only man to win three consecutive Australian Open titles in the Open Era;[14] and playing the longest Grand Slam men's singles final in history (5 hours 53 minutes).[15] Djokovic's ATP tournament records include winning 31 consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series matches, playing in the finals at all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments (a record matched by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal), and being the only player to win eight.
Djokovic has won numerous awards, including the 2011 Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year[16] and the 2012 Best Male Tennis Player ESPY Award. He has won the ATP World Tour Player of the Year twice consecutively, in 2011 and 2012. He is a recipient of the Order of St. Sava[17] and the Order of the Star of Karađorđe.[18]
Early and personal life
Djokovic was born on 22 May 1987, in Belgrade, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, to parents Srđan and Dijana (née Žagar). His two younger brothers, Marko and Đorđe, are also tennis players with professional aspirations.[19] Residing in Monte Carlo, Monaco, Djokovic has been coached since 2006 by a former Slovak tennis player Marián Vajda.[20] Similar to fellow pro Roger Federer, Djokovic is a self-described fan of languages, speaking five himself: his native Serbian, English, German, Italian and French.[21][22] He has been dating Jelena Ristić since 2005.[23]
Djokovic began playing tennis at the age of four. In the summer of 1993, the six-year-old was spotted by Yugoslav tennis player Jelena Genčić[24] at Mount Kopaonik where Djokovic's parents ran a fast-food parlour.[25] Upon seeing the dedicated and talented youngster in action, she stated: "This is the greatest talent I have seen since Monika Seleš."[19] Genčić worked with young Djokovic over the following six years before realizing that, due to his rapid development, going abroad in search of increased level of competition was the best option for his future. To that end, she contacted Nikola Pilić, and in September 1999, the 12-year-old moved to the Pilić tennis academy in Oberschleißheim, Germany, spending four years there.[26] At the age of 14, he began his international career, winning European championships in singles, doubles, and team competition.[19]
Djokovic is known for his often humorous off-court impersonations of his fellow players, many of whom are his friends. This became evident to the tennis world after his 2007 US Open quarterfinal win over Carlos Moyá, where he entertained the audience with impersonations of Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova. His impersonations have also become very popular on video sharing website YouTube.[27] He also did an impression of John McEnroe after his fourth round match victory at the 2009 US Open, before playing a brief game with McEnroe, much to the delight of the audience. It is because of this jovial personality that he earned the nickname "Djoker", a portmanteau of his surname and the word joker. Novak Djokovic is a member of the "Champions for Peace" club, a group of famous elite athletes committed to serving peace in the world through sport, created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organization.[28]
Djokovic is a Serbian Orthodox Christian. 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, because he demonstrated love for the church, and because he provided assistance to the Serbian people, churches and monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church of Kosovo.[29]
He is a keen fan of Serbian football club Red Star Belgrade,[30] Italian Serie A side A.C. Milan[31] and Portuguese club S.L. Benfica.[32] Djokovic is good friends with fellow Serbian tennis player Ana Ivanovic, whom he has known since the two were children growing up in Serbia, through Djokovic's uncle and Ivanovic's father.[33] His favorite songs are Carl Orff – Carmina Burana,Vangelis – Chariots of Fire and Pulp Fiction Soundtrack – Opening Theme.
Tennis career
Start of career
As a member of the Yugoslavia national team, Djokovic reached the finals of the 2001 Junior Davis Cup for players under 14, in which he lost his match in singles.[34]
In juniors, Djokovic compiled a singles win/loss record of 40–11 (and 23–6 in doubles), reaching a combined junior world ranking of No. 24 in February 2004.
Tournament | 2003 | 2004 | |||||||
Junior Grand Slam Tournaments | |||||||||
Australian Open | A | SF | |||||||
French Open | 3R | A | |||||||
Wimbledon | A | A | |||||||
US Open | 1R | A |
Djokovic became a professional in 2003. At the beginning of his professional career, he mainly played in Futures and Challenger tournaments, winning three of each type from 2003 to 2005. His first tour-level tournament was Umag in 2004, where he lost to Filippo Volandri in the round of 32.
Djokovic made his first Grand Slam appearance by qualifying for the 2005 Australian Open, where he was defeated by eventual champion Marat Safin in the first round, 0–6, 2–6, 1–6.[35] However, he went on to reach the third round of both Wimbledon and the US Open, coming back from two sets down to defeat Guillermo García-López in the former, and beating Gaël Monfils and Mario Ančić in the latter. Djokovic participated in four Masters events (qualifying for two of them), his best performance coming in Paris, where he reached the third round (beating fourth seed Mariano Puerta along the way).
2006: First ATP titles
Djokovic briefly considered plans to move from Serbia to play for Britain.[36] He reached the Top 40 in the world singles rankings due to his first quarter-final appearance at a grand slam, coming at the French Open, and also by reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Three weeks after Wimbledon, he won his maiden ATP title at the Dutch Open in Amersfoort without losing a set, defeating Nicolás Massú in the final. Djokovic won his second career title at the Open de Moselle in Metz, and moved into the top 20 for the first time in his career.
Djokovic also reached his first career Masters quarterfinal at Madrid during the indoor hardcourt season.
2007: Becoming a top-10 player and first Grand slam final
Djokovic began the year by defeating Australian Chris Guccione in the final of the ATP Adelaide, before losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to eventual champion Roger Federer in straight sets. His performances at the Masters Series events in Indian Wells, California, and Key Biscayne, Florida, where he was the runner-up and champion respectively, pushed him into the world's top 10. Djokovic lost the Indian Wells final to Rafael Nadal, but defeated Nadal in Key Biscayne in the quarterfinals before defeating Guillermo Cañas for the title in the finals.
Right after his first Master Series title, he went back home to contribute to his country's attempt to get into the World Group of the Davis Cup competition. Serbia faced the Republic of Georgia, and Djokovic won a point by defeating Georgia's George Chanturia. Djokovic played in the Masters Series Monte Carlo Open, where he was defeated by David Ferrer in the third round, and in the Estoril Open, where he defeated Richard Gasquet in the final. Djokovic then reached the quarterfinals of both the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome and the Masters Series Hamburg, but lost to Nadal and Carlos Moyà respectively. At the French Open, Djokovic reached his first Grand Slam semifinal, losing to eventual champion Nadal.
At Wimbledon, Djokovic won a five-hour quarterfinal against Marcos Baghdatis. In his semifinal match against Rafael Nadal, he was forced to retire with elbow problems in the third set, after winning the first and losing the second set.
Djokovic went on to win the Masters Series Rogers Cup in Montreal. He defeated World No. 3 Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals, World No. 2 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals, and World No. 1 Federer in the final. This was the first time a player had defeated the top three ranked players in one tournament since Boris Becker in 1994.[37] Djokovic was also only the second player, after Tomáš Berdych, to have defeated both Federer and Nadal since they became the top two players in the world. After this tournament, Björn Borg stated that Djokovic "is definitely a contender to win a Grand Slam (tournament)."[38] However, the following week at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio, Djokovic lost in the second round to Moyà in straight sets. Djokovic nevertheless reached the final of the US Open. Djokovic had five set points in the first set and two in the second set, but lost them all before losing the final to top-seeded Federer in straight sets.
Djokovic won his fifth title of the year at the BA-CA TennisTrophy in Vienna, defeating Stanislas Wawrinka in the final. His next tournament was the Mutua Madrileña Masters in Madrid, where he lost to David Nalbandian in the semifinals. Djokovic, assured of finishing the year as World No. 3, qualified for the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup, but did not advance beyond the round robin matches. He received the Golden Badge award for the best athlete in Serbia, and the Olympic Committee of Serbia declared him the best athlete.[39]
2008: First Grand Slam title
Djokovic started the year by playing the Hopman Cup with fellow Serbian World No. 3 Jelena Janković. While he won all his round-robin matches, the team lost 1–2 in the final to the second-seeded American team of Serena Williams and Mardy Fish. At the Australian Open, Djokovic reached his second consecutive Grand Slam final without dropping a set, including a victory over three-time defending champion Roger Federer in the semifinals. By reaching the semifinals, Djokovic became the youngest player to have reached the semifinals in all four Grand Slams. In the final, Djokovic defeated unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets to earn Serbia's first Grand Slam singles title.[40] This marked the first time since the 2005 Australian Open that a Grand Slam singles title was not won by Federer or Nadal.
Djokovic's next tournament was the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, where he lost in the semifinals to Andy Roddick. At the Masters Series Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, Djokovic won his ninth career singles title, defeating American Mardy Fish in the three-set final. Djokovic won his tenth career singles title and fourth Master Series singles crown at the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome. The following week at the Hamburg Masters, Djokovic lost to Nadal in the semifinals. At the French Open, Djokovic was the third-seeded player behind Federer and Nadal. Djokovic lost to Nadal in the semifinals in straight sets.
On grass, Djokovic once again played Nadal, this time in the Artois Championships final in Queen's Club, London, losing in two sets. At Wimbledon, Djokovic was the third-seeded player; however, he lost in the second round to Marat Safin. This ended a streak of five consecutive Grand Slams where he had reached at least the semifinals.
Djokovic then failed to defend his 2007 singles title at the Masters Series Rogers Cup in Toronto. He was eliminated in the quarterfinals by eighth-seeded Andy Murray. The following week at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Ohio, Djokovic advanced to the final, beating Nadal. In the final, he again lost to Murray in straight sets. His next tournament was the Beijing Olympics, his first Olympics. He and Nenad Zimonjić, seeded second in men's doubles, were eliminated in the first round by the Czech pairing of Martin Damm and Pavel Vízner. Seeded third in singles, Djokovic lost in the semifinals to Nadal. Djokovic then defeated James Blake, the loser of the other semifinal, in the bronze medal match.
After the Olympics, Djokovic entered the US Open as the third seed. He defeated Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals. To a smattering of boos in a post-match interview, Djokovic criticized Roddick for accusing him of making excessive use of the trainer during matches. His run at the US Open ended in the semifinals when he lost to Federer in four sets, in a rematch of the 2007 US Open final. He played four tournaments after the US Open. He lost in the final of the Thailand Open to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets. In November, Djokovic was the second seed at the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. In his first round-robin match, he defeated Argentine Juan Martín del Potro in straight sets. He then beat Nikolay Davydenko in three sets, before losing his final round-robin match against Tsonga. Djokovic qualified for the semifinals, where he defeated Gilles Simon. In the final, Djokovic defeated Nikolay Davydenko to win his first Tennis Masters Cup title.
2009: Ten finals, five titles
Djokovic started the year at the Brisbane International in Brisbane, Queensland, where he was upset by Ernests Gulbis in the first round.[41] At the Medibank International in Sydney, New South Wales, he lost to Jarkko Nieminen in the semifinals.[42] As defending champion at the Australian Open, Djokovic retired from his quarterfinal match with former World No. 1 Andy Roddick.[43]
After losing in the semifinals of the Open 13 tournament in Marseille to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Djokovic won the singles title at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, defeating David Ferrer to claim his twelfth career title. The following week, Djokovic was the defending champion at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, but lost to Roddick in the quarterfinals. At the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, another ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, Djokovic beat Federer in the semifinals, before losing to Andy Murray in the final.
Djokovic reached the final of the next ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on clay, losing to Rafael Nadal in the final. At the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, another ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, Djokovic was the defending champion, but again lost in the final.
Djokovic was the top seed at his hometown tournament, the Serbia Open in Belgrade. He defeated first-time finalist Łukasz Kubot to win his second title of the year.[44] As third seed at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, Djokovic advanced to the semifinals without dropping a set. There, he faced Nadal and lost despite holding three match points. The match, at 4 hours and 3 minutes, was the longest three-set singles match on the ATP World Tour in the Open Era.[45] At the French Open, he lost in the third round to German Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Djokovic began his grass court season at the Gerry Weber Open where, after the withdrawal of Federer, he competed as the top seed. He advanced to the final, where he lost to German Tommy Haas.[46] Djokovic also lost to Haas in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.[47]
During the US Open Series, Djokovic made the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal, before losing to Andy Roddick. At the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati, Djokovic defeated World No. 3 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. He lost in the final to World No. 1 Roger Federer.[48] At the 2009 US Open, Djokovic made the semifinals, having dropped only two sets, defeating Ivan Ljubičić, 15th seed Radek Štěpánek and 10th seed Fernando Verdasco. He then lost to Roger Federer.[49]
At the China Open in Beijing, he defeated Victor Hănescu, Viktor Troicki, Fernando Verdasco, and Robin Söderling en route to the final, where he defeated Marin Čilić in straight sets to win his third title of the year.[50] At the inaugural Shanghai ATP Masters 1000, Djokovic lost in the semifinals to Nikolay Davydenko. At the Davidoff Swiss Indoors in Basel, Djokovic defeated Jan Hernych to make it to the quarterfinals.[51] He then recovered from a deficit to defeat Stanislas Wawrinka in the quarterfinals. He won the semifinals against Radek Štěpánek. In the final, he defeated home favourite and three-time defending champion Roger Federer to win his fourth title of the year.[52] At the last Masters 1000 event of the year at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris, Djokovic won his first Masters 1000 title of the year. He defeated Rafael Nadal in the semifinals.[53] In the final, Djokovic prevailed over Gaël Monfils.[54]
Coming into the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London as the defending champion, Djokovic defeated Nikolay Davydenko in his first round-robin match.[55] In his second match, he lost to Robin Söderling.[56] Despite victory over Rafael Nadal in his third round-robin match, Djokovic failed to make the semifinals.[57] Djokovic ended the year as the World No. 3 for the third consecutive year. Djokovic played 97 matches throughout the year, the most of any player on the ATP World Tour, with a 78–19 win-loss record. In addition to leading the ATP World Tour in match wins, he reached a career best 10 finals, winning 5 titles.
2010: Davis Cup title
Djokovic started his year by playing in the AAMI Classic, an exhibition event. In his first match, he defeated Tommy Haas, but lost to Fernando Verdasco in his second.[58] At the 2010 Australian Open, Djokovic was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in five sets.[59] Despite the loss, Djokovic attained a career-high ranking of World No. 2. He reached the semifinals of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam, losing to Mikhail Youzhny. At the Dubai Tennis Championships in the U.A.E., Djokovic reached the final, defeating Mikhail Youzhny to win his first title of the year.[60]
He then took part in Serbia's Davis Cup tie against the USA on clay in Belgrade. He helped Serbia reach their first quarterfinal in the Davis Cup 3–2 victory, defeating Sam Querrey and John Isner. At the Indian Wells Masters, he lost in the fourth round to Ivan Ljubičić. At the Miami Masters, he lost in his opening match to Olivier Rochus. Djokovic then announced that he had ceased working with Todd Martin as his coach.[61]
In his first clay-court tournament of the year at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, top-seeded Djokovic reached the semifinals with wins over Stanislas Wawrinka and David Nalbandian. There, he lost to Fernando Verdasco. Djokovic again lost to Verdasco at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, this time in the quarterfinals.[62] As the defending champion at his hometown event, the Serbia Open in Belgrade, he withdrew in the quarterfinals while trailing Filip Krajinović.[63]
Djokovic entered the French Open seeded third. He defeated Evgeny Korolev, Kei Nishikori, Victor Hănescu, and Robby Ginepri en route to the quarterfinals, where he lost to Jürgen Melzer in five sets.[64] Djokovic entered Wimbledon as the third seed, defeating Olivier Rochus, Taylor Dent, Albert Montañés, Lleyton Hewitt, and Yen-Hsun Lu en route to the semifinals, which he lost to Tomáš Berdych in straight sets.
Djokovic then competed at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, where he lost to Roger Federer in the semifinals. Djokovic also competed in doubles with Rafael Nadal in a one-time, high-profile partnership. This hadn't happened since 1976, when Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe as World No. 1 and No. 2 paired together as a doubles team.[65] They lost in the first round to Canadians Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil. Djokovic lost in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati to Andy Roddick.
As the third seed at the US Open, Djokovic came very close to losing in his opening round against Viktor Troicki in extreme heat. He then defeated Philipp Petzschner, James Blake and Mardy Fish, and number 17 seed Gaël Monfils, all in straight sets to reach the US Open semifinals for the fourth consecutive year. In the semifinals, Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in five sets after saving two match points with forehand winners while serving to stay in the match at 4–5 in the 5th set. It was Djokovic's first victory over Federer at the US Open in four attempts, and his first victory over Federer in a Major since the 2008 Australian Open. Djokovic lost to Nadal in the final, a match that saw Nadal complete his career Grand Slam.
After helping Serbia defeat the Czech Republic 3–2 to make it to the Davis Cup final, Djokovic competed at the China Open as the top seed and defending champion. He won the title for the second successive year, after defeating Maoxin Gong, Mardy Fish (walkover), Gilles Simon, and John Isner en route to the final. Djokovic then defeated David Ferrer in the final. At the Shanghai Masters, Djokovic made a semifinal appearance, losing to Roger Federer. Djokovic played his final tournament of the year at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. Djokovic was placed in Group A along with Rafael Nadal, Tomáš Berdych, and Andy Roddick. Djokovic won his first round-robin match against Berdych. He next lost to Nadal. He defeated Roddick in his final round-robin match and advanced to the semifinals. He lost to Roger Federer in two sets.
Djokovic went on to win his two singles rubbers in Serbia's Davis Cup finals victory over France. This started a long unbeaten run that went on into 2011. Djokovic finished the year ranked World No. 3, his fourth successive finish at this position. He was awarded the title "Serbian Sportsman of the year" by the Olympic Committee of Serbia[66] and "Serbian Athlete of the year" by DSL Sport.[67]
2011: Ascent to No. 1
Djokovic won ten tournaments in 2011,[25] including Grand Slam tournament victories at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.[25] Djokovic also captured a record-breaking five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles,[25][68] and set a new record for the most prize money won in a single season on the ATP World Tour (12.0 million dollars).[25] His level dropped at season's end beginning with a back injury and ended with a poor showing at the ATP World Tour Finals. Djokovic finished the season with a 70–6 record and No. 1 in the world.
Pete Sampras declared Djokovic's 2011 season as the best he has ever seen in his lifetime, calling it "one of the best achievements in all of sports."[69] Boris Becker called Djokovic's season "one of the very best years in tennis of all time," adding that it "may not be the best statistically, but he's beaten Federer, he's beaten Nadal, he's beaten everybody that came around to challenge him in the biggest tournaments in the world."[70] Rafael Nadal, who lost to Djokovic in six finals on three different surfaces, described Djokovic's performances as "probably the highest level of tennis that I ever saw."[71] Djokovic was named 2011 ITF World Champion.[72] He also received the Golden Bagel Award by winning 13 sets with the result of 6–0 during the season.
2012: Reclaiming No. 1 spot
Djokovic began his season by winning the 2012 Australian Open. He won his first four rounds against Paolo Lorenzi,[73] Santiago Giraldo, Nicolas Mahut and Lleyton Hewitt respectively. In the quarterfinals he defeated David Ferrer in three sets. In the semifinal, Djokovic beat Andy Murray in five sets (7–5 in the fifth set) after 4 hours and 50 minutes, coming back from a two-sets-to-one deficit and fending off break points at 5-all in the fifth set.[74] In the final, Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in five sets, coming from a break down in the final set to win 7–5. At 5 hours and 53 minutes, the match was the longest final in Open Era Grand Slam history, as well as the longest match in Australian Open history, surpassing the 5 hour and 14 minute 2009 semifinal between Nadal and Fernando Verdasco.[75]
Djokovic was beaten by John Isner in the semifinals at Indian Wells. He successfully defended his title in Miami. In the Monte Carlo final, he lost in straight sets to Nadal, unable to prevent Nadal from earning his record-breaking eighth consecutive title there. Djokovic also lost in straight sets to Nadal at the Rome Masters 2012 final.[76]
Djokovic reached his maiden French Open final in 2012 by defeating Roger Federer,[77] reaching the finals of all four Grand Slams consecutively. Djokovic had the chance to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at once, having won last year's Wimbledon and US Open titles as well as this year's Australian Open, but was beaten by Rafael Nadal in the final in four sets.[78][79] Following the French Open, Djokovic was unsuccessful in defending his Wimbledon title from the prior year, losing to Roger Federer in four sets in the semifinals.
At the London 2012 Olympics, Djokovic was chosen as the flag bearer for Serbia.[80] On 2 August 2012, Djokovic defeated French fifth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and advanced to the semi-finals of Olympics, where he was beaten by Andy Murray of Britain in straight sets.[81] In the bronze medal match he lost to Juan Martin Del Potro, finishing 4th.[82] He successively defended his Rogers Cup title, dropping just a single set to Tommy Haas. Following the Rogers Cup, Djokovic would make the finals of the Cincinnati Masters but lost to Roger Federer in straight sets.
At the US Open on 9 September, Djokovic reached his third consecutive final at Flushing Meadows by beating fourth-seeded David Ferrer in a match suspended a day earlier due to rain.[83][84] He was defeated in the final by Andy Murray of Great Britain in five sets.[85] He defended his China Open title defeating Tsonga in straight sets.[86] The following week he won the Shanghai Masters by defeating Andy Murray in the final.[87] Djokovic was guaranteed to regain his World No. 1 ranking, following the withdrawal of Roger Federer from the Paris Masters.[88]
On 12 November 2012, Djokovic won the 2012 ATP World Tour Finals by defeating Roger Federer in the final.[89][90][91] Because of his achievements in the 2012 season, Djokovic was named the 2012 ITF World Champion in men's singles by the International Tennis Federation.[92]
Djokovic began the 2013 season by defeating Andy Murray in the final of the 2013 Australian Open to win a record third consecutive Australian Open trophy and the sixth Grand Slam of his career.[93] A week later, he participated in a Davis Cup match against Belgium, where he defeated Olivier Rochus in straight sets to give the Serbian team a 2–0 lead.[94] On 2 March 2013, Djokovic won the thirty-sixth professional single's title of his career by defeating Tomáš Berdych in the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships.[95] Another solid week of tennis saw Djokovic reach the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, before losing to del Potro, bringing an end to his 22 match winning streak.[96] The following week, Djokovic went into the Miami Masters as defending champion, but lost in the fourth round to Tommy Haas in straight sets.[97]
In April, Djokovic played for Serbia as the country faced the United States in the Davis Cup quarterfinals. Djokovic clinched the tie for his team by defeating John Isner and Sam Querrey.[98][99] Later that month, he defeated eight-time winner Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the final of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters to clinch his first title in Monte Carlo.[100] In May, he was defeated by Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in three sets in the second round of the Mutua Madrid Open in Madrid.[101] The following week, he lost to Tomas Berdych at the quarter-final stage of the Rome Masters.
Djokovic began his French Open campaign with a straight three sets win over David Goffin in the first round and also defeated Guido Pella in straight sets in the second round. In the third round Djokovic got his revenge against Grigor Dimitrov for the Mutua Madrid Open defeat by thrashing him in three sets.[102] In the fourth round he came back from a set down and defeated Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany in four sets[103] and in the process he had reached a 16th consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. Djokovic then lost to Rafael Nadal in the semifinal in five sets.[104]
In the finals of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships on July 7, 2013, No. 2-seed Murray defeated Djokovic in straight sets. At the Rogers Cup held in Canada, he lost to Nadal in the semi final in three sets. In the next ATP tournament, Western & Southern Open held in USA Djokovic lost to John Isner in the quarterfinals. In the final slam of the year, that is the US Open, Djokovic had a smooth sailing till the quarter finals, dispatching his opponents brutally. In the semi final, he faced Stanislas Wawrinka where he was stretched to a brilliant five setter which he eventually won. In the finals Djokovic met Nadal for the 37th time in his career (a new open era record), where Djokovic lost in four sets which included an incredible 54 shot rally in the second set.
Davis Cup
In 2006, Djokovic won the decisive win on 9 April, against Great Britain by defeating Greg Rusedski in four sets in the fourth match, giving his team an insurmountable 3–1 lead in their best-of-five series, thus keeping Yugoslavia in the Group One Euro/African Zone of Davis Cup. Following this match-up, a lot of media buzz appeared about Djokovic's camp negotiating with the Lawn Tennis Association about changing his international loyalty by joining British tennis ranks.[36] Nineteen-year-old Djokovic, who was No. 63 on the ATP list at the time, mostly dismissed the story at first by saying that the talks were not serious, describing them as "the British being very kind to us after the Davis Cup".[105] However, more than three years later, in October 2009, Djokovic confirmed that the talks between his family and the LTA throughout April and May 2006, were indeed serious:
Britain was offering me a lot of opportunities and they needed someone because Andy [Murray] was the only one, and still is. That had to be a disappointment for all the money they invest. But I didn't need the money as much as I had done. I had begun to make some for myself, enough to afford to travel with a coach, and I said, 'Why the heck?' I am Serbian, I am proud of being a Serbian, I didn't want to spoil that just because another country had better conditions. If I had played for Great Britain, of course I would have played exactly as I do for my country but deep inside, I would never have felt that I belonged. I was the one who took the decision.[106]
By winning all three of his matches, Djokovic played a key role in the 2007 play-off win over Australia, promoting the Serbia Davis Cup team to World Group in 2008. In Serbia's tie against Russia in early 2008, in Moscow, Djokovic was sidelined due to influenza and was forced to miss his first singles match. He returned to win his doubles match, teaming with Nenad Zimonjić, before being forced to retire during his singles match with Nikolay Davydenko.
Djokovic also had a big role in promoting Serbia to the 2009 World Group. On 6–8 March 2010, he played the key role in bringing Serbia to World Group quarterfinals for the first time in its independent history, winning both singles matches in the home tie against United States (against Sam Querrey and John Isner). Later, Serbia progressed to the Davis Cup final, following the victories over Croatia (4–1) and Czech Republic (3–2). Serbia came from 1–2 down to defeat France in the final tie 3–2 in Belgrade to win the nation's first Davis Cup Championship. In the final, Djokovic scored two singles points for Serbia, defeating Gilles Simon and Gaël Monfils.[107] He was the backbone of the Serbian squad, going 7–0 in singles rubbers to lead the nation to the title, although the honour of winning the deciding rubber in the final went to compatriot Viktor Troicki. In the semi-finals of the 2011 Davis Cup, Djokovic played a crucial rubber match for Serbia against Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, where he retired while trailing, after reaggravating a back injury sustained during the US Open tournament. This secured Argentina's place in the final. This marked Djokovic's third loss of his 2011 season, and his second retirement.[108]
Djokovic vs. Nadal
Djokovic and Nadal have met 37 times (the record for head-to-head meetings in the Open Era)[109] with Nadal having a 22–15 advantage.[110] Nadal leads on grass 2–1 and clay 13–3, but Djokovic leads on hard courts 11–7.[110] This rivalry is listed as the third greatest rivalry in the last decade by ATPworldtour.com.[111] Djokovic is the first player to have at least ten match wins against Nadal and the only person to defeat Nadal seven times consecutively.[112] The two share the record for the longest Australian Open and Grand Slam final match ever played (5 hours and 53 minutes), which was the 2012 Australian Open final.[113]
In the 2011 Wimbledon final, Djokovic won in four sets, which was his first victory over Nadal in a Major.[114] By doing so, he became the only person other than Federer to defeat Nadal in a Grand Slam tournament final. Djokovic also defeated Nadal in the 2011 US Open Final to capture his third major title of the year and fourth overall. By beating Nadal, Djokovic became the second player to defeat Nadal in more than one Grand Slam final (the other being Federer), and the only player to beat Nadal in a Slam final on a surface other than grass. In 2012, Djokovic defeated Nadal in the Australian Open final which made Nadal the first player to lose in three consecutive Grand Slam finals.
At the 2012 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in April, Nadal finally beat Djokovic for the first time since November 2010. They had met in seven finals from January 2011 to January 2012, all of which Djokovic won. In the final at Monte Carlo, an in-form Nadal crushed Djokovic. Nadal again defeated Djokovic in the final of the Rome Masters tournament.
At the 2012 French Open, Djokovic faced Nadal in the final. For the second time in tennis history, two opposing tennis players played four consecutive Grand Slams Finals against each other. They also became the only players in history, except for Venus and Serena Williams, to have faced the same opponent in the finals of each of the four different Grand Slam events. Nadal eventually won in four sets after multiple rain delays that forced the final to be concluded on the following Monday afternoon.
In 2013 Djokovic defeated eight-time winner Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the final of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters to clinch his first title in Monte Carlo. This was his third clay win against Nadal.
At the 2013 French Open semifinal, Nadal defeated Djokovic to up his record to 20–15 against Djokovic, and again at the 2013 Canada Masters semifinal.
On September 9, 2013, Djokovic lost to Nadal in the 2013 US Open finals in four sets.
Djokovic vs. Federer
Djokovic and Federer have met 29 times, with Federer leading 16–13. Federer leads 12–10 on hard court, they have split 6 matches on clay, and Federer won their only match on grass. Djokovic is the only player other than Nadal who has defeated Federer in consecutive Grand Slam tournament matches.[13] Federer ended Djokovic's 41-match winning start to the 2011 season at the 2011 French Open semi-finals which many consider to be a classic match.[115] However, he lost to Djokovic in the following year in straight sets.[116] Djokovic played Federer in his first Major final at the 2007 US Open and lost in three sets.[117]
Djokovic has the second-most wins against Federer (after Nadal). The two have met three times in Australian Open (in 2007, 2008, and 2011) which Federer won in straight sets in 2007 and Djokovic won in straight sets in the other 2. The two have met five years in a row at the US Open with Federer triumphant in their first three encounters while their last two meetings (in 2010 and 2011) were five-set matches in which Djokovic saved two match points before going on to win. On 6 July 2012, Djokovic lost to Federer in the Wimbledon semifinal.[118]
Djokovic vs. Murray
Djokovic and Andy Murray have met 19 times with Djokovic leading 11–8. Djokovic leads 2–0 on clay, 9–6 on hard courts, and Murray leads 2–0 on grass. The two are almost exactly the same age, with Murray being only a week older than Djokovic. They went to training camp together, and Murray won the first match they ever played as teenagers. The pair have met 8 times in finals, winning 4 times each. Five of the finals were ATP Masters 1000 finals, with Murray winning the first three in straight sets, but Djokovic defeated Murray in the most recent 2 finals: first in straight sets, second in three sets. They have met in four Grand Slam Finals: The 2011 Australian Open, the 2012 US Open, the 2013 Australian Open and the 2013 Wimbledon Championships. Djokovic has won in Australia twice, but it was Murray that emerged as the victor at the American Grand Slam and Wimbledon.
Djokovic and Murray also played a nearly five-hour long semifinal match in the 2012 Australian Open, which Djokovic won 7–5 in the fifth set after Murray led 2 sets to 1. Murray and Djokovic met again in 2012 at the London 2012 Olympic Games, with Murray winning in straight sets. Djokovic won their three most recent meetings, including a three set thriller at the final of the Shanghai Masters, in which Murray held five championship point opportunities in the second set; however, Djokovic saved each of them, forcing a deciding set. He eventually prevailed to win his first Shanghai Masters title, ending Murray's 12–0 winning streak at the event. The most recent meeting between the two was in the final of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships on July 7, 2013, second seed Murray defeated Djokovic in straight sets, the first time since 2010 that Djokovic had failed to win a set in a Grand Slam match.
Djokovic vs. Tsonga
Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga have met 15 times with Djokovic leading 10–5.[119][120] Their first meeting was in the final of the 2008 Australian Open; Djokovic and Tsonga had defeated the top two players, Roger Federer[121] and Rafael Nadal[122] in their respective semi-finals in straight sets. Djokovic won this match in 4 sets to win his first Grand Slam singles title.[123] Tsonga then won their next four meetings, before Djokovic stopped the streak at Miami in 2009.
Their next meeting at a Grand Slam was again at the Australian Open, in the 2010 quarter-finals, exactly two years to the day since Djokovic defeated Tsonga to win his first Grand Slam singles title. However, this time it was Tsonga who prevailed, winning in five sets after Djokovic fell ill during the match.[124] It wouldn't be until another year-and-a-half until they met again, with the stakes even higher – in the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 2011, with the winner advancing to his first Wimbledon final. It was their first meeting on grass, and Djokovic prevailed in four sets to advance to his first Wimbledon final,[125] and in the process ending the seven-and-a-half year reign of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the top of the rankings. At the 2012 French Open, Djokovic and Tsonga met again in an important quarter-finals match, with Djokovic prevailing in five sets after more than four hours of play.[126]
They met again two months later at the Olympics, with Djokovic winning in straight sets in the quarter-finals.[127] They met in the final of the 2012 China Open, with Djokovic once again victorious in straight sets.[128] The pair were drawn in the same pool for the 2012 ATP World Tour Finals. Djokovic defeated Tsonga in his first (of three) round robin matches.[129] It was Djokovic's fifth win over Tsonga in 2012.
Their most recent meeting was in the quarter-finals of the Indian Wells Masters tournament in 2013. Djokovic won in straight sets.[130]
Place among the all-time greats
Andre Agassi considers that Federer, Nadal and Djokovic "may very well be the greatest three players to ever play tennis".[8] Rod Laver chose Djokovic as number 6 in his top ten male players of the Open Era.[5] He is "probably a top eight player in tennis history" according to Tim Henman.[6] Djokovic is also thought to be in the top 40 (male and female combined) by Matthew Cronin.[131] Tennis Channel ranked Djokovic number 40 among both men and women in its 100 Greatest of All Time series.[132]
Playing style and equipment
Djokovic is an all-court player with emphasis on aggressive baseline play.[133] His groundstrokes from both wings are consistent, deep, and penetrating. His backhand is widely regarded as the best in today's game. His best shot is his backhand down the line, with great pace and precision. He is also known as one of the greatest movers on the court with superior agility, court coverage and defensive ability, which allows him to hit winners from seemingly defensive positions. After great technical difficulties during the 2009 season, 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.[133]
Djokovic's return of serve is a powerful weapon for him, with which he can be both offensive and defensive. Djokovic is rarely aced because of his flexibility, length and balance. Djokovic 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. John McEnroe considers Djokovic to be the greatest returner of serve in the history of the men's game. Occasionally, Djokovic employs a well-disguised backhand underspin drop shot and sliced backhand. His drop shots still tend to be a drawback when hit under pressure and without proper preparation.[134]
Djokovic commented on the modern style of play, including his own, in interview with Jim Courier after his semifinal win against Andy Murray in the 2012 Australian Open tournament:[135]
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 ...
Entering the pro circuit, Djokovic used Wilson rackets, continuing so until the end of 2008. At that time, he switched to Head rackets, using a custom paint job of the Head YouTek Speed Pro racquet. Starting with 2011 Australian Open, he began using Head's YouTek IG Speed MP 18/20. 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.[citation needed] In 2012, Djokovic appeared in a television commercial with Maria Sharapova promoting the use of Head rackets for many techniques such as golf, ten-pin bowling and unsuccessfully attempting the Roger Federer shot trick.[136]
After his 2011 victory in Montreal, tennis coach Nick Bollettieri stated that Djokovic is the most "complete" player of all time.[137] He has the backhand, forehand, serve, second serve, movement, mentality, and can play equally well on any surface. In assessing his 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.[138]
Coaching and personal team
From fall 2005 until June 2006, Djokovic 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.[139]
Since June 2006, Djokovic has been coached by Slovakian former professional tennis player Marián Vajda. They met for the first time during that year's French Open, after which Vajda got hired to be the 19-year-old's coach. On occasion Djokovic employed additional coaches on 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.[140]
Since early 2007, Djokovic has been working with physiotherapist Miljan Amanović who was previously employed by Red Star Belgrade and NBA player Vladimir Radmanović.[141]
From the fall 2006, Djokovic had an Israeli fitness coach Ronen Bega, but the two parted ways during spring 2009[142] since Djokovic decided to make a change after identifying his conditioning as a weakness in his game following continual losses to Nadal.[143] 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.[144][145]
In July 2010, before the Davis Cup clash away at Croatia, Djokovic made another addition to his team – nutritionist Igor Četojević who additionally focuses on Chinese medicine and does acupuncture.[146] He discovered the tennis player suffers from gluten intolerance and cannot eat gluten, purging it from his diet. It appeared to have worked as Djokovic began feeling stronger, quicker, and much more fit. After Djokovic's Wimbledon win in July 2011, Četojević left the team.[147]
After retiring from professional tennis in August 2011, Serbian player Dušan Vemić joined Djokovic's team as a hitting partner for Novak.
Sponsorships and business ventures
Djokovic endorses Serbian telecommunications company Telekom Srbija and German nutritional supplement brand FitLine.[148]
Since turning professional in 2003, Djokovic wore Adidas clothing and footwear. 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).[149] Since Sergio Tacchini doesn't make shoes, he continued with Adidas as his choice of footwear. Djokovic's sponsorship contract with Tacchini was incentive heavy, and due to Djokovic's disproportionate success and dominance in 2011, the company fell behind on payments and ended the sponsorship contract.[150] 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. On 23 May 2012, Uniqlo has appointed Djokovic as its global brand ambassador. The five-year partnership, will see Djokovic promoting the Uniqlo brand where Djokovic debut his newly designed Uniqlo match wear to spectators in Paris' Roland-Garros French Open Tennis Tournament and to a worldwide TV audience on 27 May.
Djokovic did television commercial spots and print ads for supermarket chain Idea, the Serbian arm of Croatian supermarket retailer Konzum as well as for rival Serbian supermarket chain DIS Trgovina.
In August 2011, Djokovic became the brand ambassador of Swiss watch manufacturer Audemars Piguet.[151] Less than a month later, Djokovic signed a sponsorship deal with German car company Mercedes-Benz.[152] 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.[153]
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, the duo that also had Marat Safin and Dinara Safina as their clients. In June 2008, after the duo entered into 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,[154] Djokovic formally signed with CAA Sports.[155] 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.[156]
In 2005, as Djokovic moved up the tennis rankings, he ventured into the business world. His family founded a legal entity in Serbia named Family Sport. Registered as a limited liability company, its initial focus was the restaurant business. The company's 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.[citation needed]
The company opened theme cafés named Novak Café, as well as Novak Café & Restaurant in the Belgrade's municipality of Novi Beograd.
In February 2008, the company reached an agreement with local authorities in the city of Kragujevac about jointly entering into a real estate development deal that was to include 4 hectares of city-owned land at Veliki Park being developed into a tennis center with 14 courts. But by 2010 the company pulled out of these plans.[157][158]
In March 2008, Family Sport won a municipal authority-organized tender in Novi Beograd by submitting an €11 million bid for the 3.8 hectares of land located in Ivan Ribar neighbourhood;[159] with the ambitious plan to build a big tennis center there.[160][161][162] As of spring 2013, construction is yet to commence.
In 2009, the company managed to buy an ATP tournament known as the Dutch Open and bring it to Serbia where it became – Serbia Open. With the help of Belgrade city authorities, the tournament's inaugural edition was held during May 2009 at the city-owned 'Milan Gale Muškatirović' courts, located at an attractive spot in Dorćol neighbourhood.[163] In 2012, after four tournament editions, the company pulled out of the venture and Serbia Open ceased to exist.
On Monday, 4 July 2011, one day after Djokovic won Wimbledon, Family Sport organized the homecoming reception in front of the National Assembly building with more than 80,000 people gathering to greet him.[164][165]
It was announced in late 2012 that Djokovic had purchased the entire existing 2013 production of donkey cheese, which is produced by a single farm in Serbia. This was done to ensure a reliable supply for his chain of restaurants in Serbia.[166]
In popular culture
Owing to his extroverted personality, fluency in several languages, and willingness to go along with comedic concepts, Djokovic became a fixture on entertainment-based TV talk shows around the globe immediately upon achieving a measure of prominence via results on the tennis court. After winning the Australian Open, his first major, in early 2008, Djokovic appeared on the American late-night programme The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In May 2008, he was a special guest during the first semi-final 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 a song about Belgrade.[167]
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 hosted by Italian comedian Rosario Fiorello[168] followed by an appearance on Pablo Motos' show El Hormiguero.[169] During the week off, in-between the two tournaments, Djokovic came home to Belgrade where he was interviewed by Nenad Lj. Stefanović on the RTS' hour-long, one-on-one Serbian talk programme Svedok.[170][171]
In 2009, and 2010, Djokovic won an Oscar Of Popularity for the most popular male athlete in Serbia.[172]
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.[173]
In 2010, the Serbian blues-rock band Zona B recorded the song "The Joker", dedicating it to Djokovic.[174][175]
Djokovic's international television appearances particularly intensified during his amazing run of form throughout 2011: after winning Wimbledon and reaching the number one spot on the ATP list, he again appeared on Leno's Tonight Show as well as on Conan O'Brien's show on TBS. Djokovic's dramatic win at the US Open was followed by another television blitz including spots on Live with Regis and Kelly, CBS' The Early Show, NBC's Today as well as a walk-on appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. On 25 June 2011, its seventieth Congress in Chicago, all the members unanimously awarded Djokovic the Order of Serbian National Defense in America I class, the highest decoration of the SND. The order was given to him because of his merits in the international sport scene and his contributions to the reputation of Serbs and Serbia around the world.[176] In mid-November 2011, he made a triumphant return to Rai 1's Fiorello Show. In late November during the ATP World Tour Finals in London he was a guest on David Frost's interview programme Frost Over the World on Al Jazeera English.
He was voted the 19th most influential man on AskMen.com's Top 49 Most Influential Men of 2011. On invitation from film producer Avi Lerner, Djokovic became part of the high-budget Hollywood movie production The Expendables 2 in a cameo playing himself,[177] which he shot on 29 November 2011 in a warehouse in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia.[178] However, his bit part was cut out of the final version of the movie.[179] He appeared on the cover of Italian GQ's March 2012 issue.[180] Also, in March 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.[181] On 26 October 2012, he appeared on Canal+'s Le Grand Journal.
Djokovic is also very popular on video sharing sites due to his famous imitations of other tennis players such as Maria Sharapova,[182] Rafael Nadal,[183] Serena Williams[184] and Ana Ivanovic.[185]
Career statistics
From the 2010 Davis Cup finals to the 2011 French Open, Djokovic had a 43-match win streak, placing him behind Guillermo Vilas (46 matches in 1977) and Ivan Lendl (44 matches in 1981/1982) on the all-time list.[186][187] He won 41 straight matches from the start of 2011 until the French Open semi-finals,[187] second only to John McEnroe's record (he started 42–0 in 1984).[188]
Novak Djokovic is one of only four players (besides David Nalbandian, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal) to beat Roger Federer three times in one calendar year, and one of only two players (Juan Martin Del Potro being the other) to beat both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in a Grand Slam in consecutive matches. He is the only player who can claim to have beaten both Federer and Nadal in the same tournament on 3 different occasions (Montreal 2007, Indian Wells 2011, US Open 2011).
Djokovic is also the youngest player in the Open Era to defeat the top three players in succession and he achieved this when he defeated world number three Andy Roddick, world number two Nadal, and World number one Federer in the 2007 Rogers Cup. He is one of only two players to have defeated Federer at the semifinal stage or later on more than one occasion in Grand Slam tournaments, and also at consecutive tournaments (the other being Nadal). He is also the only player to beat Federer in straight sets in a Grand Slam on more than one occasion.
His five Masters titles in 2011 are a season record, tied with Nadal in 2013.[189]
Grand Slam tournament 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 2013 Wimbledon.
Tournament | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | SR | W–L | Win % | |
Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||||||
Australian Open | 1R | 1R | 4R | W | QF | QF | W | W | W | 4 / 9 | 39–5 | 88.63 | |
French Open | 2R | QF | SF | SF | 3R | QF | SF | F | SF | 0 / 9 | 36–9 | 80.00 | |
Wimbledon | 3R | 4R | SF | 2R | QF | SF | W | SF | F | 1 / 9 | 38–8 | 82.61 | |
US Open | 3R | 3R | F | SF | SF | F | W | F | F | 1 / 9 | 45–8 | 84.91 | |
Win–Loss | 5–4 | 9–4 | 19–4 | 18–3 | 15–4 | 19–4 | 26–1 | 24–3 | 24–3 | 6 / 36 | 158–30 | 84.04 |
- Finals: 12 (6 titles, 6 runners-up)
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
Runner-up | 2007 | US Open (1) | Hard | Roger Federer | 6–7(4–7), 6–7(2–7), 4–6 |
Winner | 2008 | Australian Open (1) | Hard | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(7–2) |
Runner-up | 2010 | US Open (2) | Hard | Rafael Nadal | 4–6, 7–5, 4–6, 2–6 |
Winner | 2011 | Australian Open (2) | Hard | Andy Murray | 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 |
Winner | 2011 | Wimbledon (1) | Grass | Rafael Nadal | 6–4, 6–1, 1–6, 6–3 |
Winner | 2011 | US Open (1) | Hard | Rafael Nadal | 6–2, 6–4, 6–7(3–7), 6–1 |
Winner | 2012 | Australian Open (3) | Hard | Rafael Nadal | 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 7–5 |
Runner-up | 2012 | French Open (1) | Clay | Rafael Nadal | 4–6, 3–6, 6–2, 5–7 |
Runner-up | 2012 | US Open (3) | Hard | Andy Murray | 6–7(10–12), 5–7, 6–2, 6–3, 2–6 |
Winner | 2013 | Australian Open (4) | Hard | Andy Murray | 6–7(2–7), 7–6(7–3), 6–3, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 2013 | Wimbledon | Grass | Andy Murray | 4–6, 5–7, 4–6 |
Runner-up | 2013 | US Open | Hard | Rafael Nadal | 2–6, 6–3, 4–6, 1–6 |
- These records were attained in the Open Era of tennis and in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 series since 1990.
- Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.
- Records in italics are currently active streaks.
Time span | Selected Grand Slam tournament records | Players matched |
2007 French Open — 2008 Australian Open | Youngest player to reach the semi-finals of all 4 Majors (20 years, 250 days old) | Stands alone |
2007 French Open — 2008 Australian Open | Youngest player to reach all 4 Majors semi-finals consecutively | Stands alone |
2012 Australian Open | Longest final (by duration) vs. Rafael Nadal[b][190][191] | Rafael Nadal |
Grand Slam tournaments | Time Span | Records at each Grand Slam tournament | Players matched |
Australian Open | 2007–2013 | 4 titles overall | Andre Agassi Roger Federer |
Australian Open | 2011–2013 | 3 consecutive titles | Stands alone |
Australian Open | 2011–2013 | 3 consecutive finals | Mats Wilander Ivan Lendl |
US Open | 2012 | Longest final (by duration) vs. Andy Murray[c][192] | Stands alone |
US Open | 2012 | Longest tiebreak (by points – 22) vs. Andy Murray[192] | Stands alone |
Time span | Other selected records | Players matched |
ATP Masters 1000 records | ||
2011 | 5 titles in 1 season | Rafael Nadal |
2011, 2012 | 6 finals in 1 season | Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal |
2011 | 31 consecutive match victories | Stands alone |
2007–2012 | 9 different finals reached | Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal |
2007–2013 | 8 different titles | Stands alone |
Other records | ||
2011 | Qualified the earliest for the ATP World Tour Finals – 18 weeks, 6 days | Stands alone |
2009 | Longest best-of-three tiebreak sets singles match (by duration) vs. Rafael Nadal[d][193] | Stands alone |
2007 | Youngest player to defeat the top 3 players in succession | Stands alone |
2011 | 5 consecutive match wins against World No. 1 player in finals (Rafael Nadal)[e][194] | Stands alone |
2012 | Most prize money in one season ($12,803,737) | Stands alone |
2007–2010 | 4 years ended at No. 3 | Jimmy Connors |
Awards and honours
List of awards
- Best Male Tennis Player in Serbia (7): 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012[195]
- DSL Sport Golden Badge (3): 2007, 2010, 2011[196]
- Best Sportsman by OCS (3): 2007, 2010, 2011[197]
- BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year (1): 2011[198]
- GQ ACE of the Year (1): 2011[199]
- AIPS Athletes of the Year (1): 2011[200]
- AIPS Europe Athletes of the Year (2): 2011, 2012[201]
- Golden Bagel Award (2): 2011, 2012[202]
- The 'Prix Bourgeon' Award (1): 2007[203]
- ATP Most Improved Player of the Year (2): 2006, 2007[204]
- ATP Player of the Year (2): 2011,[205] 2012[206]
- Best Grand Slam / Davis Cup / Olympic Match of the Year (2): 2011[f],[207] 2012 [g][208]
- Best ATP World Tour Match of the Year (2): 2011[h],[209] 2012[i][210]
- ITF World Champion (2): 2011, 2012[72]
- United States Sports Academy Male Athlete of the Year (1): 2011[211]
- Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsman of the Year (1): 2012[212]
- Best Male Tennis Player ESPY Award (1): 2012, 2013
- US Open Series Champion (1): 2012
- Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year (1): 2012
- Award Pride of the Nation by Serbia Tennis Federation
- Davis Cup Commitment Award
Orders and special awards
- Order of St. Sava (by Irinej, Serbian Patriarch)[29]
- Order of the Karađorđe's Star (by Boris Tadić, President of Serbia)[213]
- Vermillion Medal for Physical Education and Sports (by Albert II, Prince of Monaco)[214]
- The Centrepoint Great Britain Youth Inspiration Award (by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge)
- Order of the Republika Srpska (by Milorad Dodik, President of the Republika Srpska)[215]
- Key to the City of Andrićgrad
See also
- ATP World Tour Awards
- Tennis Records Open Era (Men's Singles)
- ATP World Tour records
- List of ATP number 1 ranked singles players
- List of Grand Slam men's singles champions
- List of non-Grand Slam tennis statistics and records
- List of open era tennis records
- Tennis performance timeline comparison (men)
- ^ See[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
- ^ The final took 5 hours, 53 minutes to complete.[190]
- ^ The final took 4 hours, 54 minutes to complete.[192]
- ^ The match took 4 hours, 3 minutes to complete.[193]
- ^ Djokovic proceeded to defeat Nadal at the 2011 US Open and 2012 Australian Open, where their rankings were by then reversed.
- ^ US Open semifinal def. Roger Federer 6–7(7), 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 7–5
- ^ Australian Open final def. Rafael Nadal 5–7, 6–4, 6–2, 6–7(5), 7–5
- ^ Rome semifinal def. Andy Murray 6–1, 3–6, 7–6(2)
- ^ Shanghai final def. Andy Murray 5–7, 7–6(11), 6–3
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Further reading
- Grossekathöfer, Maik (7 October 2011). "Street Fighter, Artist and Patriot: Tennis Star Djokovic Is the Pride of New Serbia". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
- Price, S.L. (23 May 2011). "Staring Down History". Sports Illustrated 114 (21). Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- Scocca, Tom (29 November 2011). "Novak Djokovic: GQ Men of the Year 2011". GQ. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Novak Djokovic |
- Official site
- Novak Djokovic at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Novak Djokovic at the International Tennis Federation
- Novak Djokovic at the Davis Cup
- Novak Djokovic at Flickr
- Novak Djokovic at Tumblr
- Novak Djokovic
- 1987 births
- Living people
- Australian Open champions
- Grand Crosses of the Order of St. Sava
- Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's singles
- Hopman Cup competitors
- Laureus World Sports Awards winners
- Olympic bronze medalists for Serbia
- Olympic medalists in tennis
- Olympic tennis players of Serbia
- People from Monte Carlo
- Recipients of the Order of the Karađorđe's Star
- Serbia and Montenegro male tennis players
- Serbian expatriates in Monaco
- Serbian male tennis players
- Serbian Orthodox Christians
- Sportspeople from Belgrade
- Tennis players at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Tennis players at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Wimbledon champions
- World No. 1 tennis players
- Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics


text:
Parvicaecilia Taylor, 1968, Caecilians of the World: 546. Type species: Gymnophis nicefori Barbour, 1925, by original designation.
Colombian Caecilians (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 24).
Northwestern Colombia.
Wilkinson and Nussbaum, 2006, In Exbrayat (ed.), Reprod. Biol. Phylog. Gymnophiona: 39-78 [68], diagnosed the taxon and noted that evidence of its monophyly is wanting.
Please note: these links will take you to external websites not affiliated with the American Museum of Natural History. We are not responsible for their content.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
Xbox content & settings |
Written by Paul Scott |
Tuesday, 23 March 2010 00:13 |
Many games consoles such as the Xbox 360 & Playstation 3 and other handheld consoles such as PSPs and DSlites now allow Internet access at home and it is important to educate your children and yourselves with regard to accessing Internet content safely and responsibly. Please refer to the relevant sections of this website for further advice. The main issues around the safe and responsible use of game consoles are to do with the content of the games and the communication with other gamers online. Many children access content / games that are not suitable for their age range and many Primary pupils access 18 rated games. It is important that parents and carers are aware of the content tof these games so they can make an informed decision as to the content they deem to be acceptable for their children. Parents can also set up their games console (example here is the Xbox 360) to prevent these games being played. Please note some of the links in this section are to Youtube clips from 18 or 15 rated video games and will not be suitable for children under those ages. Below is Youtube footage of some of the most popular games that children are playing in order to give you an idea of the content. Call of Duty (COD) world at war rated 18 click here for trailer Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA) rated 18 click here for trailer Assassin's Creed 2 rated 18 click here for trailer Setting up the 'family settings' on the Xbox 360. The following video clip will take you through how to set up your Xbox 360 so that you can control the content and time you allow the children on the Xbox. Click here Click here for more information about Xbox live controls and controlling who your children are communicating with online and the amount of time children can spend on their xbox.. |
Last Updated on Tuesday, 08 February 2011 21:34 |


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Snow is possibly the last thing you expect to find when you visit Portugal, renowned for it's 3,000 odd hours of sunshine a year and soaring summer temperatures.
However that's exactly what we found when we ventured high into the Serra da Estrela mountains in central Portugal. Admittedly it was half way through February and as we were en-route to the country's only ski resort at Torre, snow wasn't that unexpected.
In fact our trip to the Serra da Estrela (Star Mountains), in our reliable old motor home, was with the express purpose of checking out the ski resort and trying out two snowboards we'd acquired.
Our journey to the base of the mountains at Covilha wasn't long, arduous or in fact in snow. It was only when we navigated through the town, which appears to cling to the side of the mountains in places, did we spy our first fall of snow.
The road narrowed significantly and the twists and turns tested Mr H the driver to his limits. Visibility dropped the higher we climbed; a combination of cloud and a snow storm blowing in from the east.
We'd arranged to meet our travelling companions half way up the, what was becoming tortuous route, to Torre from where we would travel to the top together to try out the boards.
However by the time we made it to our friends' location – a conveniently placed lay-by, large enough for two motor homes – afternoon had turned to evening, snow was falling rapidly and there was a wild easterly wind. So on the advice of the friendly and helpful snowplough driver, returning home downhill, we decided to stop the night.
The road he said was inaccessible, but would be in the morning at around eight o'clock. All night we pondered his prophetic abilities until that is, 7.30am, when he not only honked his horn loudly, but also knocked on our motor home doors.
If we wanted to beat the traffic to the top then we'd best follow quickly. You see the mountain road from Covilha to Torre, which even in the best of weather can be described as dangerous, closes over night in winter to reduce the number of accidents.
The road isn't illuminated and is quite narrow in most places. Craggy rocks jut out on one side of the road and steep, seemingly bottomless drops are on the other.
By morning the snowstorm had blown itself out and the sun poked through fluffy white clouds providing us navigators with spectacular glimpses of rocky slopes swathed in snow, which are the Serra da Estrela in winter.
The ski centre looked magnificent as we crested the peak; puffs of snow billowing off the yet unskied/snowboarded runs in the early morning breeze and there was not a person in sight.
We parked up the motorised homes and set out to purchase passes, but found everything closed and would be until 9am. So we parked up the vans, spent a little time photographing the snow, the view and anything, which moved.
When we turned round there were cars everywhere, disgorging old, young, middle aged, all dressed for the weather and ready to ski – salopettes, gloves, hats, goggles and suitable jackets.
The Ski Parque at Torre, which is Portugal's highest location at 1,993 feet, isn't the largest of resorts in the world. There are only nine runs – one black diamond for advanced skiers, four red runs for intermediates, two blue for novice skiers and two green runs for absolute beginners.
There are four ski lifts for ferrying you from bottom to top and it's a great place to go if you're new to skiing or snowboarding. Mr H and I are no strangers to skiing. He's skied in Europe and I've been lucky to do so on several continents.
I like to think I can slalom like the late Sarah Burke, but having sustained a broken wrist and thumb on my last outing and as we'd never attempted snowboarding before, we decided the sledging run was a safer option – for us and other serious skiers and snowboarders.
You see aside from the snowboards we hadn't really come equipped for this snow related sport. None of us had the first clue on how to snowboard and weren't really dressed for the sport or the weather - flimsy fleeces, jeans and inappropriate footwear.
Snowboarding is, I found out very quickly, completely different to skiing. Instead of being able to control where you go and how fast with each individual leg, now they had to be in sync, something I found impossible to master, even on the relatively none existent incline of the sledging run.
Having both of your feet tied to a board when you're used to controlling movement by individual legs, is very difficult, especially when you have your own personal support team on hand to comment and laugh when you land face first in the snow.
For several hours we surfed (more over fell in all different forms while snow board was attached to feet) down the slopes, eating more snow than is probably healthy, though dusting ourselves down after each sporadic spurt.
However when the sun began to sink behind the snow covered peak we headed indoors to the conveniently located bar adjacent to the tower, which provides the location with it's name après-ski, Portuguese style.
We opted to try the local, alcoholic aperitif, Ginjinha de Serra da Estrela. It's mighty fine drink, created by fermenting locally grown cherries in equally locally distilled firewater (Aguardente). Shot glasses were filled on more than one occasion, as we had no need to drive and we settled back to enjoy the spectacular view of the sun setting and skiers departing for the day.
I can wholeheartedly recommend visiting the Serra da Estrela as a place to go, especially during the short ski season it experiences. If not to marvel at the magnificent views, try out some of the trails through the rocky granite peaks but for the warmth of the welcome you receive from the locals.
And if you're in Portugal in the next few days (9th, 10th, 11th March 2012) it's a good idea to head to Torre to see some real snowboarding experts in action when the Roxy Snowgirls Snowboarding Championship slides into town.
The event showcases some of the best snowboarding, female talent around and it's an opportunity to learn to snowboard with people who know what they're doing.
For more information on the Roxy SnowGirls visit: http://www.purofeeling.com


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Babes Quick Tap II Free
by: MIGITAL
Puzzle - 0.40 MB
Brighten your boring mobile with these scintillating hot babes here to dazzle you! Play this game with speed and accuracy and keep the babes in your mobile forever!
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• Save the images in your mobile to use as a wallpaper or just view them later!
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