THE RECORD BREAKER
Novak Djokovic
b. 1987 · Athlete
Early Life
Novak Djokovic was born on May 22, 1987, in Belgrade, in what was then Yugoslavia. He began playing tennis at age four after receiving a mini-racket from his parents, and at six he started training under coach Jelena Genčić, who spotted his talent immediately and convinced him to adopt a two-handed backhand. During the Yugoslav Wars and NATO bombing of Belgrade in the late 1990s, a young Djokovic and his family famously trained and sheltered in a converted, drained swimming pool, using it as a makeshift tennis court between air raids.
At age 12, Djokovic relocated to a tennis academy in Munich, Germany, where his father took out high-interest loans to finance his training, a sacrifice Djokovic has credited throughout his career as foundational to his rise.
Rise to Fame
Djokovic turned professional in 2003 and achieved his breakthrough at age 20 by winning the 2008 Australian Open, ending the 11-consecutive-major stranglehold that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal had held on Grand Slam titles. He climbed to world No. 1 for the first time in 2011, cementing his place as the third member of tennis's "Big Three" alongside Federer and Nadal.
His most dominant single season came in 2015, when he reached a record 15 consecutive finals and captured ten of tennis's biggest titles, establishing a level of consistency few in the sport's history have matched.
Career Highlights
Djokovic has won a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record ten Australian Open crowns, and has completed the career Grand Slam three separate times. He has spent a record 428 weeks at world No. 1, finished as year-end No. 1 a record eight times, and won 101 ATP Tour singles titles overall — third all-time behind Federer and Jimmy Connors, a milestone he reached with his 2025 Geneva Open title. He also holds the record for most ATP Masters 1000 titles and match wins, having surpassed Nadal's mark in 2025, and won Olympic gold at the 2024 Paris Games, completing a career "Golden Slam."
In 2026, at age 38, Djokovic reached the Australian Open final — becoming the tournament's oldest-ever finalist — after defeating Jannik Sinner in a five-set semifinal classic in which he saved 16 break points, before falling to Carlos Alcaraz. The run pushed his career Grand Slam match win total past 400, a first in tennis history, and extended his record for Grand Slam finals appearances to 38. Despite battling injuries and withdrawing from several tournaments through the year, he has continued competing on tour into his late 30s, a longevity rarely seen at the sport's highest level.
Personal Life
Djokovic married his longtime partner Jelena Ristić on July 10, 2014, in Montenegro. The couple has two children, a son born in 2014 and a daughter born in 2017, and the family resides in Athens, Greece. A polyglot, Djokovic speaks Serbian, English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
He founded the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which supports early childhood education for disadvantaged children in Serbia, and was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2015. His stance against COVID-19 vaccine mandates led to a high-profile deportation from Australia ahead of the 2022 Australian Open, but he returned in 2023 to reclaim the title and break the all-time Grand Slam record that same year.
Net Worth & Legacy
Novak Djokovic's net worth is estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. He is tennis's all-time leading prize-money earner, having surpassed $194 million on court, in addition to substantial endorsement income built over more than two decades at the top of the sport.
From a boy training in a drained swimming pool during wartime Belgrade to the winningest man in Grand Slam history, Djokovic's career has redefined the limits of tennis longevity and dominance. Still competing for major titles in his late 30s, he continues adding to a legacy that many already consider the greatest the sport has ever seen.