When sprouting the numerous debates surrounding who is the ‘GOAT’ for almost every major sport, chances are that some eager fans will be quick to label the Serbian sensation that is Novak Djokovic as the greatest tennis player to ever live thanks to his magnificent resumé of accolades and prior performances on the court.
There is no denying the sheer impact that Djokovic has brought onto the professional tennis scene as he has proven to be one of the greatest and most consistently sublime performers in the history of the sport.
Djokovic is a multiple time winner of various Grand Slam tournaments and is still currently searching for even more silverware to claim for what is vastly becoming one of the sporting world’s most eccentric trophy cabinets.
Even at the age of 35, the Serb has continued to showcase his tremendous talent on the biggest of stages, which included his recent winnings at the Australian Open and last year’s Wimbledon event.
Despite Djokovic entering into the latter years of his now illustrious career, fans of the sport are still expecting the Serb to claim even more coveted winnings in various other competitions, which is greatly represented in some of the latest tennis odds on the DraftKings sportsbook.
- Early life:
Born on May 22nd, 1987, in Belgrade, Serbia, Novak Djokovic is the oldest of three brothers who have since taken up the mantle of playing tennis professionally, with Novak quickly showcasing his skills at such a young age.
Djokovic’s first experience of playing any racket-related sports came when he was just four years of age, after his parents purchased a mini-racket and a soft foam ball, before he would soon become one of the game’s most highly touted young stars after some incredible displays at various tennis camps with former Yugoslavian professional Jelena Gencic, who quickly proclaiming that Djokovic was the greatest talent he had ever witnessed since Monica Seles.
Both would soon work together to help improve and vastly develop Djokovic’s ever-expanding game which greatly translated to an unprecedented amount of success at the professional level of play.
Djokovic would continue to claim numerous titles at a young age before eventually earning his spot in the top rankings amongst active tennis players and would officially turn professional in 2003 when he entered into the ATP Tour.
In 2005, Djokovic would make his official debut at a Grand Slam event where he qualified for the Australian Open before losing to the eventual winner of that year’s competition Marat Safin during the first round.
Despite this setback, the Serb had gained an incredible amount of credibility and notoriety at such a young age, which would soon propel Djokovic to a much greater surge of success during the next two decades.
- An insurmountable period of success:
From the early 2000s through to the current years of this era of tennis, the sport has arguably enjoyed its most prosperous years of success and overall popularity during its entire existence, as the past two decades have been heighten by the sheer talent presented in the men’s game between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
All three of these outstanding talents have brought their own unique influence onto the sporting genre and have enjoyed a plethora of successful campaigns, however with Djokovic’s recent winnings at the 2023 Australian Open, he has officially tied Nadal for the most Grand Slam titles in the history of the Men’s singles competition.
Djokovic has also won more Australian Open titles than anyone else in history with ten total winning events, alongside his two wins at the French Open, three US Open titles and finally his impressive seven Wimbledon titles.
All three competitors have squared off against each other on numerous occasions with Djokovic also facing off against several notable contenders from the modern age of tennis play, which included his now charming ‘friendly rivalry’ with the always outspoken Nick Kyrgios which sparked into life throughout the finale of Wimbledon in 2022.
Alongside his winnings at a number of yearly Grand Slam events, Djokovic has also showcased his worth in the Olympic games as he finished with a bronze medal in the 2008 rendition as well as earning a total of 93 titles across a forever immortalized career, with many more expected to be added.
Djokovic has showed no clear signs of slowing down during the twilight years of his spectacular professional tennis career which was increasingly evident following his 6-3, 7-6, 7-6 win over the number three seeded Greek starlet Stefanos Tsitsipas in the aforementioned 2023 edition of the Australian Open.
Fans of the game will be sure to keep a watchful on whether Djokovic can surpass Nadal and likely earn the deserved title as the ‘GOAT’ of professional tennis at the culmination of a journey that all started with a mini-racket and a soft foam ball way back in Serbia.