Monday 9 September 2013

Tennis - FACTBOX-US Open finalist Novak Djokovic

GRAND SLAM TITLES: (Six): Australian Open: 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013; Wimbledon: 2011; U.S. Open: 2011.

* Born: Belgrade, May 22, 1987

* Began playing tennis aged four.

* His father was a professional skier and wanted his son to be a skier or professional soccer player but changed his mind when Djokovic excelled at tennis from an early age.

* First full year on tour in 2005, made grand slam debut as a qualifier at the Australian Open, losing to Marat Safin in the first round. Finished as the youngest player (18 years, five months) inside the top 100.

* In 2006, he won his first ATP tour title at Amersfoort, followed that with second title indoors at Metz.

* He retired in the 2006 French Open quarter-finals against Nadal when trailing by two sets and again a year later due to blisters in the Wimbledon semi-final against the same opponent.

* In 2007, he won five titles (Adelaide, Miami, Estoril, Montreal and Vienna), made the semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon and advanced to his first grand slam final at the U.S. Open, losing to Roger Federer 7-6 7-6 6-4.

* Broke the Federer-Nadal grand slam duopoly by beating Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets to win his maiden major title at Melbourne Park in 2008.

* Failed to defend his title in Melbourne the following year after controversially pulling out of his quarter-final against Andy Roddick citing heat exhaustion on a sweltering day.

* Lost in the quarter-final at Melbourne Park to Tsonga in 2010 when he suffered a stomach bug.

* Upset Federer in the semi-finals of the 2010 U.S. Open before losing in four sets to Nadal in the final.

* Led Serbia to their first Davis Cup title with victory over France in Belgrade in December 2010.

* Began 2011 by winning the Australian Open, beating Andy Murray in the final, to end his three-year wait for a second grand slam.

* Won his next six tournaments in Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Belgrade, Madrid and Rome. He did not lose again until June 3 when Federer ended his 41-match winning streak in 2011 in the French Open semi-finals.

* Secured the number one spot on July 4 by beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Wimbledon semi-finals, then beat Nadal to clinch his first Wimbledon title, his first on grass.

* Won a record fifth Masters title in a season when he won in Toronto, one of the lead-up events for the U.S. Open.

* Saved two match points to beat Federer in the semi-finals of the U.S. Open then defeated Nadal in the final to become just the seventh man to win three grand slams in a year since tennis turned professional in 1968.

* Won his third Australian Open title in 2012, and fifth overall to continue his dominance of the men's game, when he beat Spain's Nadal in five hours and 53 minutes.

* Defeated by Nadal again in the final of the 2012 French Open 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5.

* Loses out to Roger Federer in the semi-final of Wimbledon and is then defeated by Andy Murray in the final of the U.S. Open.

* Begins 2013 by retaining his Australian Open crown with a 6-7 7-6 6-3 6-2 victory over Murray becoming the first man in the professional era to win three successive Australian Open titles.

* Loses to Nadal in the French Open semi-finals and then Murray gains revenge over the Serb with victory in the Wimbledon final.

(Compiled by Simon Evans, Editing by Gene Cherry)


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