Novak Djokovic

EARLY CAREER

* Born: Belgrade, May 22, 1987

* Began playing tennis at age of 4.

* 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.

MAKING HIS MARK

* 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.

* Coached by Slovak former ATP professional Marian Vajda since 2006.

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

SUPERB SEASON

* 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 semifinals.

* Secured the No 1 spot on July 4 by beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Wimbledon semifinals, 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 US Open.

* Saved two match points to beat Federer in the semifinals of the US Open, then defeated Nadal in the final to become the seventh man to win three Grand Slams in a year since tennis turned professional in 1968.

DOMINANCE CONTINUED

* Chose not to play any warmup events before Australian Open title defense and has been troubled with allergies and problems with his breathing throughout the tournament, notably against David Ferrer and Andy Murray.

* Looked out on his feet in his semifinal against Murray but rallied with a blistering fourth-set performance that got him back into the match.

* Won his third Australian Open title, and fifth Grand Slam overall to continue his dominance of the men's game, when he beat Spain's Nadal in 5 hr 53 min.