Novak Djokovic Profile
The winner of the 2008 Australian Open title, Novak Djokovic, defeated former World Number 1 Roger Federer on his way to claiming the first grand slam title of his career. The win completed a meteoric rise up the ATP rankings that saw him moved from 78th to 3rd position in the space of just 2 years.
In 2007 Novak Djokovic proved to be a giant killer. He beat Rafael Nadal in the Miami Masters finals and Roger Federer at the Canadian Masters final. Following his Masters Series successes, Swedish tennis legend Bjorn Borg announced that that Novak Djokovic was "definitely a contender to win a Grand Slam".
At the US Open 2007, Djokovic proved his mettle by reaching the final. The Serb went on to lose to Roger Federer in straight sets, but had proved beyond doubt that he was grand slam champion material by reaching the semifinals at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic career highlights:
- Djokovic defeated world numbers 1, 2 and 3 (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick) on three consecutive days en route to his Canada Masters title in 2007. Only German tennis legend, Boris Becker, has accomplished this amazing feat.
- He is only the second player, after Thomas Berdych, to have defeated both Federer and Nadal since they became the top 2 ranked players in the world.
- Djokovic won the 2008 Australian Open, crushing the former world number one Roger Federer in the semi finals, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final.
- Won his first bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics after defeating James Blake.
- Djokovic completed an otherwise disappointing 2008 tennis season by securing victory in the end-of-year Masters Cup.
Novak Djokovic has the rare ability to be comfortable and competitive on all court surfaces, unlike his contemporary, Rafael Nadal, who has struggled to compete on hard courts despite having won an Australian Open title.
