Novak Djokovic is a Serbian tennis star who has taken the tennis world by storm. He has 24 Grand Slam wins under his belt.
Early days of Novak Djokovic
Djokovic was born in Belgrade, Serbia in 1987. He started to play tennis at the age of four. When he was six, a Yugoslavian tennis legend, Jelena Gencic, spotted him playing and became his coach for six years. At the age of 13, Djokovic went to the Pilic Academy in Munich for exposure to higher levels of competition. At 16, he turned pro and was soon ranked as the 40th-best junior player in the world.
Many Americans watched Djokovic win against Daniil Medvedev in the U.S. Open in 2023 for the fourth time. Sports betting is now legal in more than 30 states in the U.S., and Americans can place their sports bets online. PA online sports betting is very popular. Sports bettors like to bet on which tennis players will win games at events like the U.S. Open.
Ascent to the top
Djokovic steadily ascended to the top from his early start playing tennis. In 2008, he won the Australian Open. In 2011, he claimed three out of four Grand Slam titles. In 2012, he won the Australian Open again and made it to the Wimbledon semi-finals. Roger Federer beat him in the semi-finals and triumphed in the final against Andy Murray.
Djokovic was firmly on the road to the number-one ranking in the world. He won the Australian Open again in 2013 and was runner-up at Wimbledon. He lost the U.S. Open to Rafael Nadal. In 2014, he had his second Wimbledon win in a five-set match against Roger Federer. This was his seventh Grand Slam title.
In 2016, his first French Open win made him the first male tennis player since Australia’s Rod Laver to hold all Grand Slam titles at the same time.
Tennis injuries and disqualification
An elbow injury that eventually resulted in surgery interfered with his game in 2017. In 2018, he beat Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon semi-final and South African Kevin Anderson in the final. This was his 13th Grand Slam title.
In January 2019, he beat Nadal to claim his 7th Australian Open title. He won Federer in the Wimbledon final but had to retire from the U.S. Open due to a shoulder injury.
When professional tennis began again after being suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Djokovic was disqualified at the 2020 U.S. Open. In the fourth round, he accidentally hit a line judge with a tennis ball.
Major titles in 2021 and 2022
The setbacks didn’t deter him, and in 2021, Djokovic won three more major titles. He won his 20th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon and was runner-up at the U.S. Open. He beat Medvedev in the Australian Open in straight sets. He didn’t win the French Open as easily. He lost the first two sets against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece but went on to win after a four-hour match.
In 2022, Djokovic didn’t compete at the Australian Open or the U.S. Open due to his vaccination status. In the French Open, he faced Nadal and lost. He did manage to win against Australian Nick Krygios in the Wimbledon final.
2023 and beyond
In 2023, Djokovic won other three Grand Slams. He won his 10th Australian Open title, playing against Tsitsipas in the final. He also won the French Open title, bypassing Rafal Nadal for the most Grand Slam men’s titles. He made it to the Wimbledon final, but Spain’s Carlos Alcatraz broke his four-year winning streak. He still managed to win his fourth U.S. Open and 24th Grand Slam titles. The top tennis players now are Djokovic in first place, Alcatraz in second place, and Medvedev in third place.
