DJOKOVIC SET TO MEET MURRAY

Tennis’s top ranked player Novak Djokovic will bid to win his second consecutive title at Miami Masters or the Sony Ericsson Open when he goes head to head with Scottish tennis ace Andy Murray in the final. After his defeat of Rafael Nadal in a grueling 5 hour 53 minute long marathon match in the final of the first Grand Slam of the year the Australian Open, many fans thought that they would get to see an encore with the top two ranked players in the world slated to meet in the Final but Nadal was forced to withdraw from the tournament ahead of his Semi Final match against Murray due to a knee injury, depriving the fans of another big match.

But what they will be getting as a replacement promises to be just as compelling. The fourth tanked player in the ATP Tour rankings, Andy Murray is the only player who has managed to defeat the Serbian Novak Djokovic twice since he became the top ranked player in the world and this is their 13^th career meeting.

Having grown up together almost, playing against each other since their junior days, both know the other’s plays inside out and this promises to grow into a rivalry of the magnitude of the Federer-Nadal rivalry, if only Murray could win a few Grand Slams.

Djokovic has an overall record of 19-2 in 2012 and he is leading Murray 7-5 on the head to head count as well and the experts are of the opinion that the match is going to be too close to call. However, Novak Djokovic that he will be able to win the Final and avenge the loss to Murray in the same stage of the 2009 edition and make the number one slot more secure ahead of the clay court season.

BEST POSSIBLE START

Novak Djokovic may have had the best possible start to 2012, having won the Australian open beating Rafael Nadal in an epic final that lasted over five hours to win his third Australian Open crown and fifth Grand Slam overall, but he is not happy with that and has already set his sights on achieving something that has not been done for quite some time and that is to win the Career Slam and Golden Slam.

The Djoker is yet to make his mark at Roland Garros, having reached the semi finals stages of the French Open on three occasions and this year, he is looking to take the crown for himself.

But he has the King of Clay standing in his way with Rafael Nadal, still reeling after three consecutive Grand Slam final losses to Djokovic and would not give up his crown without a fight. Novak Djokovic is also looking forward to the Olympic Games to be held in London this year, knowing a win there and at the French Open would give him a career Golden Slam that has not been achieved for many years now.

But 24 year old knows that it will not be an easy task and he has been working hard on it ever since winning the Australian Open. The only person ever to have done the Golden Slam was Steffi Graf way back in 1988 and if he does manage to win it, Djokovic will be considered as a legend in the game of tennis.

Having won the Bronze Medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Novak Djokovic knows that success does not come easily at the Games and with his experience this times, he hopes that he can get the better of his opponents and write his name down in the history books.

Novak Djokovic Donates to UNICEF

The top ranked tennis player in the world Novak Djokovic has donated $ 100,000 from his own pocket to the UNICEF, a wing of the United Nations Child Aid Organization. However, it doesn’t seem that the three time Grand Slam winner had to dig too deep into his pocket with his prize money for the year exceeding $ 12 million for the calendar year of 2011. The ‘Djoker’ donated the $ 100,000 as a Christmas present to the Serbian wing of the aid organization.

Djokovic is known for his philanthropic activities, something that almost all tennis players are known for but growing up in the war ravaged former country, Novak knows exactly what the kids of his country are going through and that was evident from his speech when he said that he hoped his little contribution would help at least some of the young kids to reach their full potential. Novak Djokovic had been appointed as the national ambassador for UNICEF in Serbia in August.

Djokovic also added that he hoped that the money he donated would go on to make a difference in the lives of the disabled children of the Roma community, who are a gypsy clan of the region. Djokovic grew up in Belgrade at a time when NATO bombings were a regular sight in the city and he also added that he is grateful that the children of today do not have to face that.

Djokovic, who won three Grand Slams in 2011 and a further 12 ATP Tour titles will head off to Abu Dhabi to play in a tournament where Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are also slated to play. But Novak Djokovic did manage to find some time from his hectic schedule to donate the money at the charity event held in his homeland.

Novak Djokovic – The Rising Star

Born on May 22, 1987, in Belgrade, Serbia, Novak Djokovic currently resides in Monte Carlo. Born to father Srdan and mother Dijana he can speak four different languages, i.e., Serbian, English, Italian and German and has two younger siblings, Marko and Djordje. They also share the same interest in tennis as Djokovic who started playing at the tender age of four and in the summer of 1993 this raw talent was spotted by Jelena Gencic, a Yugoslav tennis legend. At the age of twelve in September 1999 he went to Pilic, a tennis academy situated in Oberschleibhein, Germany, and spent three months practising there. His international career started when he was fourteen years old and he won the European championship in singles and doubles.

Novak Djokovic is also famous for his off- court humorous impersonations of his colleagues and often entertains the audience with the same. This earned him the nickname of “Djoker” which is a blend of the word joker and his surname. “Champions for Peace” is a club created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organisation with an objective of spreading peace in the world through the help of sport of which Djokovic is a member. His philanthropist side is also shown in his love, help and assistance rendered to the Serbian people, monasteries and churches. In 2006 Novak Djokovic broke into the top 40 world ranking and in the Dutch Open won his maiden title and thereafter moved into the top 20.

The year 2007 started off on a positive note for this tennis star who was successful at the Australian summer season. He then went on to win in Rotterdam and later his first Master Series title at the ‘fifth Grand Slam’ in Miami. The highlight of the year came when he defeated Roger Federer, Rafeal Nadal and Andy Roddick and went on to win the Montreal tournament. He lost to Roger Federer in his first appearance in the Grand Slam final in the US Open. He went on to win five titles in this year and even made his first appearance at the Masters Cup in shangai and finished the year on a high note as number three in the world tennis ranking. 2008 was another remarkable year for  Novak Djokovic. He took his first ever Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open and followed it with three other big titles: The Masters Cup in Shanghai and Masters in Rome and Indian Wells.

The most successful season in his career, 2009 did not start on good note when he was defeated in the opening round. Till now he had played in ten finals and had lifted the winning trophy in five cities : Paris, Beijing, Dubai, Belgrade and Dubai and the one in his hometown was the most cherished one. He was the runner up in the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments held in Cincinnati, Rome. The year finished with Novak Djokovic as world number three. Djokovic’s idol is Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi his inspiration. 2010 saw him lead Serbia into the Davis Cup World Group quarter-finals for the first time and he finished the year as word number two.

Jelena Dokic – The young sensation

Originally born in Yugoslavia to father Damir Dokic, a Serbian and mother Ljiljana, a Croatian Jelena Dokic is the elder one of the two children, the younger being her brother, Savo. The family lived in Osijek till the June of 1991 but then decided to leave due to the civil war. They moved to Sombor, Serbia where they lived for a short time and later in 1994 the family again shifted to Australia, where Jelena did her schooling. Born on 12 April 1983 she currently lives in Monte Carlo, Monaco and started playing tennis at the young age of eight. Like every teenager she enjoys relaxing at the beach, shopping and watching movies. She won her first US Open girls singles title and the French Open doubles with Kim Clijisters in 1998 and ended the season with a world number one ranking in the International Tennis Federation junior singles rankings and world number seven in doubles ranking. In the Fed Cup she became the youngest player to represent Australia.

Jelena Dokic then the lowest ranked player qualified for the Wimbledon in 1999 and defeated Martina Hingis in the opening round and in the process scripted history. It was a boost to her career and it helped her gain recognition on the world stage. The following year she played against her idol Seles in the play-off during the Sydney Olympics and lost but it was a dream come true for the young star. She was also the second Australian to reach the semifinals at the Wimbledon.

Winning her first WTA Tour singles title in 2005, Jelena Dokic broke into the top ten for the first time in her career. She lost in her first round main draw match at the Australian Open but went on to win in the play-off. She went through family problems and suffered from injury in 2007 and had to miss many matches but she came back at the end of the year to participate in the Australian Open until she was forced to retire from the tournament owing to a thigh strain.

She won three titles in the following year and also climbed the ladders in the world ranking. Jelena Dokic won the December Showdown in 2008 and with lady luck favouring her she earned herself a wildcard entry into the main draw of the Australian Open in 2009. She played like a dream and and reached the quarterfinals before losing to Dinara Safina.

She won four-straight three-set matches at the Grand Slam and was the fourth wildcard entry in the Open era to reach the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam. Jelena Dokic soon reached number ninety one in the rankings for the first time since 2003. She continued to climb the ladder of success and played in the main draw of all the four Grand Slams for the first time since 2001. At the age of 19 she had reached the pinnacle of her career after being ranked world number four in 2002.  She continues improving with every match she plays.

The Stylish Athlete

Ana Ivanovic was born on 6th of November in 1987. She took birth in Belgrade city of Serbia, Yugoslavia. Previously, she held the no. 1 position among the Serbian tennis players. In 2011, her rank in Women’s Tennis Association is 17. She won the 2008 French open by beating Dinara Safina. In 2007 French open and 2008 Australian open, she became the first runner up in the singles category.

Ivanovic’s mother Dragana is a lawyer by profession. She used to encourage her daughter to play tennis, since childhood. Dragana attended most of her daughter’s match. Ana’s father is a self employed businessman. His name is Miroslav. Ivanovic has a younger brother, whose name is Milos. Her favorite pastime is to play basketball with her brother.

Ana Ivanovic studies finance at University of Belgrade. She also learns Spanish, when she is free. Ana was announced UNICEF National Ambassador, who would represent Serbia along side Jelena Jankovic, Emir Kusturica and Aleksander Dordevic. She also promotes child education and child protection. She often visits different schools in Serbia and interacts with kids.

Monica Seles played a vital role in Ana’s life. Monica was her greatest inspiration. She used to watch her play tennis for Yugoslavia on television set. From the early days of her life, she was attracted towards tennis. When she was 5 years old, Ana picked up a tennis racket for the first time. She was very passionate about the particular sport, since childhood and used to watch almost all the matches on the television sets. At that time, there was a war situation in the country. To avoid bombardments, she had to practice tennis in a hidden place. Later she disclosed that she was trained in a dry swimming pool, during the winter months. When she was 15years old, her manager was Dan Holzmann. One day her manager found Anna crying in her locker room after a defeat. Later it was disclosed, that Ivanovic used to cry for 4 long hours in her locker room, after a defeat. She was afraid that her manager would drop her and she could never become a tennis player by profession.

Nike sponsored Ana Ivanovic, at the beginning of her tennis career. In 2006, Adidas became the new sponsors of Ana. Later she became an ambassador for Adidas Company and a lifetime contract was made. She is the youngest athlete both male and female, who has signed such a long term contract. Ana began her career with Wilson rackets. But, now she uses Yonex Ezone model 100 racket.

Ana Ivanovic is regarded as an offensive baseliner. Serve is the most powerful weapon of Ana. Her fastest serve is 201.0km/hr at 2007 French Open and it is recorded as the fifth highest in WTA. She has also got a powerful forehand. Ana Ivanovic is 6 feet 1inch tall, which is a good woman height. Clay court is her best surface, where her height gives her extra advantage to play the extra bounces. But, she can also play well in hard and grass courts.