The year he turned 17, he won the Budapest Challenger in May and moved into the top 500. The year he turned 18, he qualified for Roland Garros and won his first main-draw match at a major. The year he turned 19, he reached the Roland Garros quarterfinals as the world No. 63 and won his second ATP title in Metz in October. The year he turned 20, he won the Miami Open in April, beat Nadal and Federer to win the Rogers Cup in August, and lost to Federer in his first Grand Slam final, at the US Open in September.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 21, he beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Australian Open final on January 27, and became the first Serb to win a Grand Slam singles title.
The year he turned 24, he beat Nadal in the Wimbledon final for his first title there and became world No. 1 the next day. The year he turned 25, he beat Nadal in a record five hours and 53 minutes to win the Australian Open, and beat Federer in the ATP World Tour Finals in November. The year he turned 26, he beat Nadal in the final of the ATP World Tour Finals in London. The year he turned 27, he beat Federer in five sets in the Wimbledon final and returned to No. 1. The year he turned 28, he beat Federer in the US Open final for his 10th Grand Slam title, the third major of his year. The year he turned 29, he beat Andy Murray in the Roland Garros final on June 5, completing the career Grand Slam and holding all four major titles at once.
The year he turned 30, he announced in July that he would miss the rest of the season with an elbow injury. The year he turned 31, he won Wimbledon as the 12th seed, ranked 21st, and in August won Cincinnati to complete all nine Masters 1000 titles. The year he turned 32, he beat Nadal in the Australian Open final for a record seventh title there. The year he turned 33, he beat Dominic Thiem in the Australian Open final for an eighth title there and his 17th Grand Slam.
The year he turned 34, he equaled Federer’s record of 310 weeks at No. 1 in March, then won Roland Garros in June and Wimbledon in July to reach 20 Grand Slam titles. The year he turned 35, he left Australia on January 16 after the federal court upheld the cancellation of his visa, and missed the Australian Open. The year he turned 36, he won the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the US Open, reaching 24 Grand Slam titles.
The year he turned 37, he beat Carlos Alcaraz in the Olympic final in Paris on August 4 for his first Olympic gold medal. The year he turned 38, he lost to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinal in July and won his 101st career title in Athens in November.
The year he turned 39, he beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in a five-set Wimbledon quarterfinal in July, lost in the first round of the US Open in August, and prepared to return at the China Open in late September.
Novak Djokovic (born May 22, 1987) won the Budapest Challenger in 2004, the year he turned 17. He became known in 2008, the year he turned 21, when he won the Australian Open on Jan 27, 2008. He became world No. 1 in 2011 and won his 24th Grand Slam title on Sep 10, 2023.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Beat Daniele Bracciali in the final of the Budapest Challenger. He had come through qualifying ranked No. 515 and moved into the top 500.
Source 01 · ATP Tour · Djokovic’s first Challenger title: 20 years on · opens in a new tab Month from the ATP Tour article; the day is not given.Won his third Challenger title in Sanremo, then qualified for Roland Garros and won his first main-draw match at a major.
Source 01 · ATP Tour · Djokovic’s first Challenger title: 20 years on · opens in a new tab Year from the ATP Tour article; the date is not given.Ranked 63rd, beat three top-30 players to reach the last eight, then retired with a back injury two sets down to Rafael Nadal.
Source 02 · Reuters · Serbian teenager Djokovic is thinking big · opens in a new tabSource 03 · AFP (RFI) · Nadal v Djokovic, French Open, 2006: Chapter One in 18-year rivalry · opens in a new tab Month from Reuters (“in June”).Beat Jurgen Melzer 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 for his second ATP title in his third final. UPI reported that he was due to enter the top 20 the following week, after finishing 2005 ranked 83rd.
Source 04 · UPI · Djokovic titles at Metz, France · opens in a new tabBeat Guillermo Cañas 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 for his first Masters 1000 title. Tennis Majors reported that at 19 years and 314 days he was the youngest men’s champion in the tournament’s history at the time.
Source 05 · Tennis Majors · April 1, 2007: the day Novak Djokovic became the youngest men’s champion in Miami · opens in a new tabBeat Federer 7-6 (2), 2-6, 7-6 (2) in the final after wins over Andy Roddick and Nadal. ESPN reported he was the first player since Boris Becker in 1994 to beat the world’s top three players in one tournament.
Source 06 · ESPN · After topping Nadal, Djokovic puts away Federer to win Rogers Cup · opens in a new tabLost to Federer 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-2), 6-4. BBC Sport reported that he missed a total of seven set points.
Source 07 · BBC Sport · Federer wins fourth US Open title · opens in a new tabBeat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) in the final, and BBC Sport reported he was the first Serb to win a Grand Slam singles title. In the semifinal he had beaten world No. 1 Federer in straight sets.
Beat Nikolay Davydenko 6-1, 7-5 in the final of the season-ending event.
Source 10 · BBC Sport · Superb Djokovic wins Masters Cup · opens in a new tabBeat Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 for his first Wimbledon title and third Grand Slam title. He overtook Nadal as world No. 1 the next day.
Source 11 · BBC Sport · Wimbledon 2011: Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal in final · opens in a new tabWon 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 over Nadal in a record five hours and 53 minutes, for his third Australian Open title.
Source 12 · BBC Sport · Novak Djokovic v Rafael Nadal: Players & pundits hail ‘greatest’ match · opens in a new tabBeat Federer 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 in London, the second time he won the season-ending event.
Source 13 · BBC Sport · Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer to win ATP World title · opens in a new tabWon 6-3, 6-4 in London, the 39th match between the two, according to The Guardian.
Source 14 · The Guardian · Djokovic denies Nadal last word in the World Tour Finals · opens in a new tabBeat Federer 6-7 (7), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 5-7, 6-4 for his seventh Grand Slam title and returned to No. 1 in the rankings the next day.
Source 15 · ATP World Tour · Djokovic Returns To No. 1 With Wimbledon Victory · opens in a new tabSource 39 · BBC Sport · Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer to win Wimbledon title · opens in a new tabWon 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 for his second US Open and 10th Grand Slam title, the third major of his year.
Source 16 · BBC Sport · US Open 2015: Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer in final · opens in a new tabSource 17 · Wikipedia · Novak Djokovic · opens in a new tab Date from Wikipedia; the BBC Sport report is dated 14 September 2015.Beat Andy Murray 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 for his 12th Grand Slam title. He was the eighth man to complete the career Grand Slam and the third to hold all four major titles at once.
Source 18 · ATP World Tour · Djokovic Outlasts Murray For Historic Roland Garros Crown · opens in a new tabSource 40 · BBC Sport · Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray to win first French Open title · opens in a new tabAnnounced that he would miss the rest of the season. The right-elbow injury had forced him to retire from his Wimbledon quarterfinal.
Source 19 · The Guardian · Novak Djokovic will miss the rest of 2017 season with elbow injury · opens in a new tabBeat Kevin Anderson 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (3) for his 13th Grand Slam title, ranked 21st. NBC Olympics reported it was his first major since he was the world’s best player more than two years earlier.
Source 20 · NBC Olympics · Novak Djokovic sweeps Kevin Anderson for 4th Wimbledon title · opens in a new tabBeat Federer 6-4, 6-4 for his first Cincinnati title. The AP reported he was the first to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 events since the series started in 1990.
Source 21 · ESPN (AP) · Novak Djokovic beats Roger Federer to claim final ATP Masters 1000 title · opens in a new tabWon 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 for his 15th Grand Slam title and third in a row.
Source 22 · BBC Sport · Australian Open 2019: Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal to win record seventh title · opens in a new tabWon 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 in five sets for his 17th Grand Slam title.
Source 23 · BBC Sport · Australian Open: Novak Djokovic beats Dominic Thiem to win 17th Grand Slam · opens in a new tabBBC Sport reported he equaled Federer’s record and was guaranteed to break it the following week. He had won his 18th Grand Slam title in Melbourne the month before.
Source 24 · BBC Sport · Novak Djokovic equals Roger Federer’s world number one record · opens in a new tabBeat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7 (6-8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 for his 19th Grand Slam title, the first man in the Open era to win all four Grand Slams twice.
Source 25 · BBC Sport · French Open 2021: Novak Djokovic outlasts Stefanos Tsitsipas for 19th Grand Slam title · opens in a new tabBeat Matteo Berrettini 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3, tying Federer and Nadal at 20 Grand Slam singles titles.
Source 26 · ESPN · Stats: Djokovic ties Federer, Nadal’s 20 Grand Slams with 6th Wimbledon title · opens in a new tabThe full federal court dismissed his challenge to the cancellation of his visa, and he left Melbourne on a flight to Dubai, missing the Australian Open.
Source 27 · The Guardian · Novak Djokovic to be deported from Australia after losing appeal against visa cancellation · opens in a new tabBeat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) and returned to No. 1.
Source 28 · ATP Tour · Perfect 10: Djokovic Returns To No. 1 With 22nd Major At AO · opens in a new tabBeat Casper Ruud 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 in the final.
Source 29 · ATP Tour · Djokovic Wins Roland Garros For Historic 23rd Major Title · opens in a new tabBeat Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, equaling the record for Grand Slam singles titles at 36.
Source 30 · BBC Sport · US Open 2023 results: Novak Djokovic wins 24th major by beating Daniil Medvedev · opens in a new tabSource 31 · The Guardian · Ageless Djokovic dismantles Medvedev in US Open final to win 24th grand slam title · opens in a new tabBeat Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in the final for his first Olympic gold medal, at age 37.
Source 32 · CBC Sports (AP) · Golden Slam completed: Djokovic secures Olympic gold after topping Alcaraz in men’s final · opens in a new tabLost 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 to Jannik Sinner, ending his bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title.
Source 33 · BBC Sport · Wimbledon 2025: Novak Djokovic says reality of age ‘hits like never before’ · opens in a new tabBeat Lorenzo Musetti 4-6, 6-3, 7-5. Forbes reported that at 38 years and 5 months he was the oldest ATP champion since 1990.
Source 34 · ATP Tour · Djokovic wins 101st title in Athens after three-hour thriller vs. Musetti · opens in a new tabSource 35 · Forbes · Novak Djokovic Wins 101st Career Title, Becomes Oldest ATP Champion · opens in a new tabBeat Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-6 (10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4) in 5 hours, 15 minutes, the longest quarterfinal in Wimbledon history, the tournament said.
Source 36 · ESPN · Novak Djokovic wins 5-set Wimbledon thriller to reach semis · opens in a new tabLost to Mariano Navone 7-6 (5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, his first opening-round loss at the US Open.
Source 37 · AP · Novak Djokovic loses in opening round of US Open for first time, falling in 5 sets to Mariano Navone · opens in a new tabSaid his body was responding well ahead of the China Open, his first tournament since the US Open loss. He was to play Nuno Borges in the first round on Wednesday.
Source 38 · Al Jazeera (Reuters) · Novak Djokovic ready for tennis comeback at China Open · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2004–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
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Sports · Serbia
May 22, 1987 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1987: the year of the event minus 1987, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.30 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.