From winning iPods to Grand Slams – Djokovic’s 100 titles

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Sport tennis news reporter

Novak Djokovic continues to reach landmarks most players could only dream about.

On Saturday, the 38-year-old Serb claimed the 100th title of his stellar career after beating Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz to win the Geneva Open.

Djokovic is only the third man – after Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) – to clock up the century in the Open era.

To mark his achievement, BBC Sport delves deeper into the stories and numbers behind Djokovic’s ton of trophies.

In July 2006, there was little fanfare – outside of his native Serbia, at least – when a 19-year-old Djokovic landed his first ATP title.

A clay-court event in the Dutch city of Amersfoort was an understated setting for what became a launchpad towards greatness.

Djokovic, who was ranked 36th in the world at the time, overcame reigning Olympic champion Nicolas Massu in the final, with the Chilean noting the “spectacular potential” of his teenage opponent.

The new champion celebrated with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a silver-plated iPod in the other.

The events quickly got bigger – as did the prizes.

In April 2007, Djokovic won his first ATP Masters title by beating Argentina’s Guillermo Canas in Miami and landed his first major with victory over France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the 2008 Australian Open final.

While he did not win another major for three years, the steady stream of titles continued.

Then came 2011 – a season where Djokovic, backed by a more potent serve and greater endurance, took his game to greater heights.

Fuelled by a new gluten-free diet which he credits for transforming his career, he won his first 40 matches of the year and collected seven titles as a result.

The most successful year of his career ended with 10 trophies, including three of the four majors.

For years, debate raged over who was the greatest men’s player of all time.

Djokovic has all but ended the argument – if it is based solely on numbers, at least – by moving clear of his rivals in the key metrics.

Djokovic is the only player to have won all nine Masters events – earning him what is known as a career Golden Masters. In fact, he has achieved that feat twice.

One piece of the jigsaw had been missing, which is why title number 99 was so special.

Winning Olympic gold, though, eluded Djokovic at Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

There had been tears and tantrums as the mental energy spent poured out during his defeats.

At Paris 2024 he also sobbed on the court – this time because he finally landed the title he craved.

Djokovic is one of only five singles players to achieve the career ‘Golden Slam’.

“Being on that court with the Serbian flag raising, singing the anthem, with the gold around my neck, I think nothing can beat that in terms of professional sport,” he said.

Home is where the heart is for a proud Serb like Djokovic.

There is one place, though, which he has regularly described as his “second home”: Melbourne. Or, more specifically, Rod Laver Arena.

Djokovic has won the Australian Open there on a record 10 occasions, making it the most successful tournament of his career.

The events which he has won the most are:

Djokovic’s all-court prowess is reflected by the fact there are events played on three different surfaces in this list – Wimbledon grass, Rome clay and hard courts everywhere else.

Hard courts are where he has enjoyed the most success, helped by the majority of the ATP season being played on it.

When Djokovic lost to Federer in his first Grand Slam final at the 2007 US Open final, the Swiss superstar predicted they would have “many more battles”.

Ultimately, they went on to build an engrossing rivalry – with Djokovic going on to win 13 titles by beating Federer in trophy matches.

He also won the 2014 ATP Finals after the Swiss withdrew before the final with a back injury.

However, it is Rafael Nadal who Djokovic has beaten more times in finals than anybody else.

The ‘Big Three’, as they became known, were the dominant players of the late 2000s and 2010s, with only Andy Murray breaking their 16-year stranglehold on the world number one ranking between 2004 and 2020.

It is unsurprising that Nadal, Federer and Murray account for 40 of the men beaten by Djokovic in his 100 triumphant finals.

The Serb has faced 37 other opponents across the remaining 60 matches.

Argentine Canas, born in 1977 and turning 48 later this year, is the oldest player he has beaten.

Carlos Alcaraz – a 22-year-old who is nearer in age to Djokovic’s 10-year-old son Stefan – is the youngest.

Massu, beaten by Djokovic at the very start in Amersfoort, was also present for the Serb’s landmark success, with the 45-year-old Chilean now coaching Hurkacz.

Clinching the century is the clear highlight of a difficult 2025 season.

A hamstring injury in the semi-final curbed his Australian Open ambitions before a struggle for form led to the end of his coaching partnership with Briton Murray.

In Geneva, he insisted the motivation is “still there”.

Standing alone with 25 Grand Slam titles, taking sole ownership of the record he holds jointly with Australia’s Margaret Court, is the biggest target left for Djokovic.

Overtaking Federer and Connors in terms of ATP titles might be another ambition.

“I think I’ve achieved all of my biggest goals in career,” Djokovic said at the Australian Open in January.

“Right now it’s really about Slams and seeing how far I can push the bar for myself.

“I think I can go toe-to-toe with the big guys. As long as that’s the case, I guess I’ll still feel the need to keep on competing.”

Image source, Getty Images

Related topics