TENNIS PLAYERS from Serbia

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Serbian Tennis Players of all time. This list of famous Serbian Tennis Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Serbian Tennis Players.

1. Novak Djokovic (1987 - )

With an HPI of 68.14, Novak Djokovic is the most famous Serbian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 133 different languages on wikipedia.

Novak Djokovic (Serbian: Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, pronounced [nôʋaːk dʑôːkoʋitɕ] ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player who is currently ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Djokovic has been ranked No. 1 for a record total of 421 weeks in a record 13 different years, and finished as the year-end No. 1 a record eight times. Djokovic has won a record 24 Grand Slam men's singles titles, including a record ten Australian Open titles. Overall, he has won 98 singles titles, including a record 71 Big Titles: 24 majors, a record 40 Masters, and a record seven ATP Finals. Djokovic is the only man in tennis history to be the reigning champion of all four majors at once across three different surfaces. In singles, he is the only man to achieve a triple Career Grand Slam, and the only player to complete a career Golden Masters, a feat he has achieved twice. Djokovic began his professional career in 2003. In 2008, at age 20, he disrupted Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's streak of 11 consecutive majors by winning his first major title at the Australian Open. By 2010, Djokovic had begun to separate himself from the rest of the field and, as a result, the trio of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic 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 while going 10–1 against Nadal and Federer. 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 a single-season record 15 consecutive finals, winning a season-record 10 Big Titles while having a record 31 victories over the top-10 players. His dominant run extended through to the 2016 French Open, where he completed his first Career Grand Slam and a non-calendar year 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 that weakened his results until the 2018 Wimbledon Championships, where he won the title while ranked No. 21 in the world. Djokovic has continued to be a dominant force on the tour since then, winning 12 major titles and completing his second and third Career Grand Slams. Due to his opposition to COVID-19 vaccine, Djokovic was forced to skip many tournaments in 2022, notably the Australian Open and the US Open; two major events he was the favourite to win. One year after the Australian visa controversy, Djokovic made a successful comeback to reclaim the 2023 Australian Open trophy, and shortly after he claimed the French Open to take the outright record for most men's singles majors won in history. 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 Karađorđe's Star, Order of St. Sava, and the Order of the Republika Srpska. His other awards include being named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year four times (2012, 2015, 2016 and 2019) and the 2011 BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. 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 a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 2015.

2. Monica Seles (1973 - )

With an HPI of 54.99, Monica Seles is the 2nd most famous Serbian Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 61 different languages.

Monica Seles (born December 2, 1973) is a former world No. 1 tennis player who represented Yugoslavia and the United States. She won nine major singles titles, eight of them as a teenager while representing Yugoslavia, and the final one while representing the United States. In 1990, Seles became the youngest-ever French Open champion at the age of 16. She went on to win eight major singles titles before turning 20 and was the year-end No. 1 in 1991 and 1992. However, on April 30, 1993, while playing a match, she was the victim of an on-court attack when an obsessed fan of Seles' rival Steffi Graf stabbed Seles in the back with a 9-inch (23 cm) knife as she was sitting down between games. Seles did not return to tennis for over two years after the stabbing. Though she enjoyed success after returning in 1995, including another major championship at the 1996 Australian Open, she was unable to consistently produce her best tennis. She played her last professional match at the 2003 French Open but did not officially retire until February 2008. Regarded by many as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Seles was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" by Time. Several players and historians have stated that Seles had the potential to become the most accomplished female player of all time had she not been stabbed. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009.

3. Momčilo Tapavica (1872 - 1949)

With an HPI of 53.24, Momčilo Tapavica is the 3rd most famous Serbian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Momčilo Tapavica (Serbian Cyrillic: Момчило Тапавица; Hungarian: Tapavicza Momcsilló [ˈtɒpɒvit͡sɒ ˈmomt͡ʃilloː]; 14 October 1872 – 10 January 1949) was an all-around sportsperson, competing in tennis, weightlifting, wrestling. Tapavica achieved his best result in tennis by winning the singles bronze medal at the 1896 Summer Olympics, making him the first ethnic Serb, Slav and Hungarian citizen to win an Olympic medal. After his sporting career Tapavica became a well-known architect.

4. Ana Ivanovic (1987 - )

With an HPI of 45.64, Ana Ivanovic is the 4th most famous Serbian Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 63 different languages.

Ana Schweinsteiger (née Ivanović; born 6 November 1987) is a Serbian former world No. 1 tennis player. She claimed the top ranking after winning the 2008 French Open, and held the position for a total of 12 weeks. She was also the runner-up at the 2007 French Open and the 2008 Australian Open, losing to Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova respectively. She qualified for the year-end WTA Tour Championships three times, in 2007, 2008 and 2014 and won the year-end WTA Tournament of Champions twice, in 2010 and 2011. Ivanovic won 15 WTA Tour singles titles, including a Grand Slam singles title at the French Open in 2008. During this time, she earned over $15.5 million in prize money, which is the 25th highest in the all-time rankings. In June 2011, she was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" by Time and was also included on the list of "Top 100 Greatest Players Ever" (male and female combined) by reporter Matthew Cronin. Her breakthrough came at the 2004 Zurich Open, where she qualified and was narrowly beaten by Venus Williams in the second round in two tiebreak sets. By the age of 18, Ivanovic had already defeated established players such as Svetlana Kuznetsova, Nadia Petrova, Vera Zvonareva and Amélie Mauresmo. Ivanovic was known for her aggressive style of play and impressive forehand, described by Petrova as "the best out there." Ivanovic's struggles after winning the 2008 French Open were well documented. After that victory, she was overwhelmed by attention and endured an ongoing period of reduced success, failing to make a Grand Slam quarterfinal in her subsequent 17 Grand Slam tournaments, and dropping as low as No. 65 in the rankings during July 2010. In 2012, Ivanovic reached her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since her French Open victory at the 2012 US Open, thereby achieving the feat of reaching the quarterfinals at all four Grand Slam tournaments, and finished with a year-end top 15 ranking for the first time since 2008. In 2014, Ivanovic enjoyed a resurgence, beginning with her victory in the Auckland Open, her first singles title in over two years, before going on to win the Monterrey Open, Aegon Classic and the Pan Pacific Open. She qualified for competition in the WTA Tour Championships and secured a year-end ranking of No. 5, signifying her return to the world's elite. In 2015, Ivanovic made it to the semifinals of a major for the first time in seven years at the French Open. In late December 2016, she announced her retirement, citing being no longer able to perform to a high standard as a major factor.

5. Jelena Janković (1985 - )

With an HPI of 43.10, Jelena Janković is the 5th most famous Serbian Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 53 different languages.

Jelena Janković (Serbian Cyrillic: Јелена Јанковић, Serbian pronunciation: [jělena jǎːŋkoʋitɕ]; born 28 February 1985) is a Serbian former world No. 1 tennis player. Janković reached the top ranking before her career-best major performance, a runner-up finish at the 2008 US Open. Janković won 15 WTA Tour singles titles and two doubles titles, with career highlights including the 2007 Wimbledon mixed-doubles title partnering Jamie Murray.

6. Janko Tipsarević (1984 - )

With an HPI of 40.26, Janko Tipsarević is the 6th most famous Serbian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 39 different languages.

Janko Tipsarević (Serbian Cyrillic: Јанко Типсаревић, pronounced [jâːŋko tipsǎːreʋitɕ]; born 22 June 1984) is a Serbian politician and former professional tennis player. His career-high singles ranking is world No. 8, achieved on 2 April 2012. In his career, he won 4 ATP World Tour titles, one ATP doubles title, three Futures, and 15 Challenger titles. Tipsarević also won the 2001 Australian Open junior title. He holds notable victories over former world No. 1 players Carlos Moyá, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Andy Roddick, his compatriot Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. His best results at a Grand Slam tournament have been reaching the quarterfinals at the US Open in 2011 and 2012.

7. Daniel Nestor (1972 - )

With an HPI of 39.35, Daniel Nestor is the 7th most famous Serbian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Daniel Mark Nestor ( NES-tər; Serbian: Данијел Нестор, romanized: Danijel Nestor; born September 4, 1972) is a Canadian former professional tennis player. Nestor won 91 men's doubles titles (with 11 different partners), including an Olympic gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, four Tour Finals titles, and twelve major doubles titles attained with seven different partners (eight in men's doubles and four in mixed doubles). Nestor was the first man in history to win every major and Masters event, the Tour Finals, and an Olympic gold medal, an achievement since matched by the Bryan brothers. He was part of the ATP Doubles Team of the Year in 2002 and 2004 (with Mark Knowles), and 2008 (with Nenad Zimonjić). Nestor became the world No. 1 doubles player for the first time in August 2002. Nestor is widely considered one of the foremost doubles players in history, due to his longevity and continued success at the top of the game. As of March 2018, he is 10th for the most ATP Tour titles in Open Era history, and has the third-highest tally for doubles titles. In January 2016, Nestor became the first doubles player in ATP history to win 1000 matches. He was continuously ranked in the top 100 in doubles from April 1994 to April 2018, a total of 1134 consecutive weeks. Nestor retired at the end of the 2018 season, ending a 27-year career.

8. Filip Krajinović (1992 - )

With an HPI of 35.85, Filip Krajinović is the 8th most famous Serbian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Filip Krajinović (Serbian Cyrillic: Филип Крајиновић, pronounced [fǐlip krajǐːnoʋitɕ]; born 27 February 1992) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 26 on 23 April 2018. His ATP Tour debut came at the 2009 Serbia Open, where he lost in the first round. His best individual result has been a Masters 1000 final, at the 2017 Paris Masters. He played a Davis Cup semifinal with the Serbian national team.

9. Dušan Lajović (1990 - )

With an HPI of 34.64, Dušan Lajović is the 9th most famous Serbian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Dušan Lajović (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Лајовић; born 30 June 1990) is a Serbian professional tennis player. Lajović has won two singles and two doubles titles on the ATP Tour. On 29 April 2019, Lajović reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 23. On 21 September 2020, he peaked at No. 82 in the doubles rankings. He is best known for his clay-court game, kick serve and strong flowing groundstrokes, especially his one-handed backhand. Lajović regularly represents Serbia in team competitions, after playing in the now defunct World Team Cup in 2010 and 2011, he is a member of the Serbian Davis Cup team since 2012 and he contributed greatly to Serbia winning the inaugural ATP Cup in 2020, as he won four of six matches. He won his first singles tournament at the 2019 Croatia Open and reached his first Masters 1000 final at the 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters.

10. Miomir Kecmanović (1999 - )

With an HPI of 30.56, Miomir Kecmanović is the 10th most famous Serbian Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Miomir Kecmanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Миомир Кецмановић, pronounced [mǐomir ketsmǎːnoʋitɕ]; born 31 August 1999) is a Serbian professional tennis player. Kecmanović reached his best singles ranking of world No. 27 on 16 January 2023 and he peaked at world No. 135 on 10 April 2023 in the doubles rankings. He has won one singles and one doubles ATP titles, as well as two Challenger titles in his career. He is currently the No. 4 Serbian player.