Novak Djokovic (Serbian Cyrillic: Новак Ђоковић, romanized: Novak Đoković, pronounced [nôʋaːk dʑôːkoʋitɕ] (listen); born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He is currently ranked world No. 3 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Djokovic has been ranked world No. 1 for a record total 387 weeks in a record 12 different years, and finished as the year-end No. 1 a record seven times. He has won a joint-record 22 Grand Slam men's singles titles, including a record ten Australian Open titles. Overall, he has won 93 singles titles, including a record 66 Big Titles, which comprises his 22 majors, a record 38 Masters titles and a joint-record 6 Year-end championships. Djokovic has completed a non-calendar year Grand Slam in singles, becoming the only man in tennis history to be the reigning champion of the four majors at once across three different surfaces. He is also the first man in the Open Era to achieve a double Career Grand Slam in singles by winning all four majors at least twice and the only player to complete the career Golden Masters in singles by winning all nine ATP Masters tournaments, a feat he achieved twice.Djokovic began his professional career in 2003. At age 20, he disrupted Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's streak of 11 consecutive majors to win his first major title at the 2008 Australian Open. By 2010, Djokovic separated himself from the rest of the field and, as a result, the trio of Federer, Nadal and him was referred to as the 'Big Three' among fans and commentators. In 2011, Djokovic ascended to No. 1 for the first time, winning three majors and a then-record five Masters titles, going 10–1 against Nadal and Federer along the way. He remained the most successful player in men's tennis for the rest of the decade. In 2015, Djokovic had his most successful season, reaching 15 consecutive finals, winning a season-record 10 Big Titles and beating a record 31 top-10 players along the way. His dominant run extended through to the 2016 French Open, where he completed a non-calendar year Grand Slam and his first career Grand Slam, becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four majors simultaneously and setting a rankings points record of 16,950. In 2017, Djokovic suffered from an elbow injury which kept him struggling on court for a year, more or less, but after losing in the 2018 Australian Open, he decided to undergo surgery which helped him to get back to winning ways by the 2018 Wimbledon where he won the title while ranked No. 22 in the world. Djokovic continued being a dominant force on tour since then, winning 10 major titles and completing his second career Grand Slam by the 2021 French Open. Due to his opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine, Djokovic was forced to skip many tournaments in 2022, notably the Australian Open and the US Open; major events he was the favorite to win. Djokovic accepted the consequences of his choice and stated that it was a price he would be willing to pay as he believes that the principles of decision making on his body are more important than any title or anything else. One year after his Australian visa controversy, Djokovic made a successful comeback in Melbourne, reclaiming the 2023 Australian Open trophy for a record-equalling 22 major titles.Representing Serbia, Djokovic led the national tennis team to its first Davis Cup title in 2010, and to the inaugural ATP Cup title in 2020. He also won the bronze medal for his country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Djokovic is a recipient of the Order of St. Sava, the Order of Karađorđe's Star, and the Order of the Republika Srpska.
Beyond competition, Djokovic was elected as the president of the ATP Player Council in 2016. He stepped down in 2020 to front a new player-only tennis association; the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) founded by him and Vasek Pospisil, citing the need for players to have more influence on the tour and advocating better prize money structure for lower ranked players. Djokovic is an active philanthropist. He is the founder of Novak Djokovic Foundation, which is committed to supporting children from disadvantaged communities. Djokovic was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2015.
