Novak Djokovic - from facing war to becoming the world's best player

Novak Djokovic is a name that needs no introduction. The current world number one is a champion in every sense of the word. He has won seven Grand Slam titles so far in his career. The Serb has finished the year as the No. 1 player in three of the last four seasons.Djokovic won his first Grand Slam at the 2008 Australian Open where he beat Roger Federer in the semifinals. The tennis scene was dominated by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and Djokovic winning in Melbourne was seen by many as the starting point for the formation of Big 3 in tennis. However, that wasn’t to be for a couple of years. It was puzzling for tennis fans as Djokovic moved and covered the court like Nadal and played aggressive shots like Federer. His fitness was always a question mark in harsh conditions. He needed to be mentally stronger to challenge the Top 2. The Belgrade native also improved his serve which is a big weapon in the game. The results started showing as he pocketed three Majors and five Masters 1000 titles in 2011. Pete Sampras described it as “one of the best achievements in all of sports”. Nadal praised Djokovic saying it was “probably the highest level of tennis that I ever saw”.The Serb has been one of the most consistent players who can adapt to any surface without much difficulty. 

#1 The beginning

Novak Djokovic was born on the 22nd of May, 1987 in Belgrade, Serbia. His father Srdjan and mother Dijana owned a company called Family Sports which has three restaurants and a tennis academy. Djokovic's father, uncle and his aunt were professional skiers and his father was also an excellent soccer player, but Djokovic was made for tennis, or now as his fans believe, tennis was meant for Djokovic.