2008 Novak Djokovic tennis season

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2008 Novak Djokovic tennis season
Nole Skupstina BG feb08.jpg
Djokovic celebrating his first Australian Open triumph in Belgrade
Full nameNovak Djokovic
CountryFlag of Serbia (2004-2010).svg Serbia
Calendar prize money$5,689,078 (singles & doubles)
Singles
Season record64–17
Calendar titles4
Year-end rankingNo. 3
Ranking change from previous yearSteady2.svg
Grand Slam & significant results
Australian Open W
French Open SF
Wimbledon 2R
US Open SF
Olympic Games Bronze medal olympic.svg
Doubles
Season record2–5
Calendar titles0
Current rankingNo. 579
Ranking change from previous yearDecrease2.svg 436
Davis Cup
Davis Cup 1R
2009

The 2008 Novak Djokovic tennis season officially commenced on January 14 with the start of the 2008 Australian Open.

Contents

Yearly summary

Early hard court season

Djokovic started his preparations for the season by playing the Hopman Cup with fellow Serbian world No. 3 Jelena Janković where he won all of his four singles matches, including in the final against the United States, where he beat Mardy Fish in a deciding set tiebreak to level the tie, but then losing the decisive mixed doubles rubber, [1] in which he faced former WTA No. 1 Serena Williams in a competitive event for the first time. [2]

Australian Open

At the Australian Open, Djokovic reached his second consecutive Grand Slam final, this time without dropping a set, including a victory over two-time defending champion Federer in the semifinals. [3] By reaching the semifinals, Djokovic became the youngest player in the Open Era to have reached the semifinals in all four Grand Slam events. [4] In the final, Djokovic defeated unseeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets to earn his first Grand Slam singles title. [5] This marked the first time since the 2005 Australian Open that a Grand Slam singles title was not won by Federer or Nadal. [5]

Djokovic became the first Serbian player to win a Grand Slam men's singles title. [6]

Indian Wells Open

At the Indian Wells Open, Djokovic won his ninth career singles title, defeating Mardy Fish in the final. [7]

Clay court season

Italian Open

Djokovic won his tenth career singles title and fourth Master Series singles crown at the Italian Open in Rome after defeating Wawrinka in the final. [8]

French Open

At the French Open, Djokovic was the third-seeded player behind Federer and Nadal. He lost to Nadal in the semifinals in straight sets. [9]

Grass court season

Wimbledon

On grass, Djokovic once again played Nadal, this time in the Artois Championships final in Queen's Club, where he lost in two sets. Djokovic entered Wimbledon seeded third but lost in the second round to Marat Safin, ending a streak of five consecutive majors where he had reached at least the semifinals. [10]

Fall hard court season

Cincinnati Open

Djokovic then failed to defend his 2007 singles title at the Canadian Open in Toronto, where he was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Andy Murray. The following week at the Cincinnati Open, Djokovic advanced to the final, beating Nadal in the semifinals, which not only ended the Spaniard's 32-match winning streak, but also delayed Nadal's first ascension to world No. 1 by a week. [11] In the final, he again lost to Murray in straight sets.

Olympic Games

In August, Djokovic represented Serbia in the tennis tournament of the 2008 Summer Olympics, his first Olympics. He and Nenad Zimonjić, seeded second in men's doubles, were eliminated in the first round by the Czech pairing of Martin Damm and Pavel Vízner. Seeded third in singles, Djokovic lost in the semifinals to Nadal. Djokovic then defeated James Blake, the loser of the other semifinal, in the bronze medal match. [12]

US Open

After the Olympics, Djokovic entered the US Open seeded third, where he defeated Roddick in the quarterfinals. To a smattering of boos in a post-match interview, Djokovic criticized Roddick for accusing him of making excessive use of the trainer during matches and for suggesting that he was faking his injuries. [13] His run at the US Open ended in the semifinals when he lost to Federer in four sets, in a rematch of the previous year's final. In November, Djokovic was the second seed at the year-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, beating Juan Martín del Potro and Nikolay Davydenko in the round-robin stage, and Gilles Simon in the semifinals. In the final, Djokovic defeated Davydenko to win his first title at the year-end championship. [14]

All matches

This table lists all the matches of Djokovic this year, including walkovers (W/O)

Key
W F SFQF#RRRQ#P#DNQAZ#POGSBNMSNTIPNH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Singles matches

TournamentMatchRoundOpponent (seed or key)RankResultScore
Australian Open
Melbourne, Australia
Grand Slam tournament
Hard, outdoor
14 – 27 January 2008
1 / 1731R Flag of Germany.svg Benjamin Becker 81Win6–0, 6–2, 7–6(7–5)
2 / 1742R Flag of Italy.svg Simone Bolelli 70Win6–1, 6–2, 6–2
3 / 1753R Flag of the United States.svg Sam Querrey 62Win6–3, 6–1, 6–3
4 / 1764R Flag of Australia (converted).svg Lleyton Hewitt (19)22Win7–5, 6–3, 6–3
5 / 177QF Flag of Spain.svg David Ferrer (5)5Win6–0, 6–3, 7–5
6 / 178SF Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Roger Federer (1)1Win7–5, 6–3, 7–6(7–5)
7 / 179W Flag of France.svg Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 38Win (1)4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(7–2)
Davis Cup World Group
1st Round
: Russia vs Serbia

Moscow, Russia
Davis Cup
Hard, indoor
8 – 10 February 2008
8 / 180RR Flag of Russia.svg Nikolay Davydenko 4Loss6–4, 6–3, 4–6 Ret.
Marseille Open
Marseille, France
ATP Tour 250
Hard, indoor
11 – 17 February 2008
9 / 1811R Flag of Croatia.svg Ivan Dodig (Q)296Win6–1, 6–4
10 / 1822R Flag of France.svg Gilles Simon 30Loss2–6, 7–6(8–6), 3–6
Dubai Tennis Championships
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
ATP Tour 500
Hard, outdoor
3 – 9 March 2008
11 / 1831R Flag of Croatia.svg Marin Čilić 45Win6–4, 6–3
12 / 1842R Flag of France.svg Fabrice Santoro 47Win6–3, 7–6(7–3)
13 / 185QF Flag of Russia.svg Igor Andreev 34Win6–2, 6–1
14 / 186SF Flag of the United States.svg Andy Roddick (6)6Loss6–7(5–7), 3–6
Indian Wells Masters
Indian Wells, United States
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
10 – 23 March 2008
1RBye
15 / 1872R Flag of Italy.svg Andreas Seppi 40Win6–3, 7–6(7–3)
16 / 1883R Flag of Germany.svg Philipp Kohlschreiber (27)27Win6–3, 6–2
17 / 1894R Flag of Argentina.svg Guillermo Cañas (16)16Win6–2, 6–3
18 / 190QF Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Stan Wawrinka 35Win7–6(7–5), 6–2
19 / 191SF Flag of Spain.svg Rafael Nadal (2)2Win6–3, 6–2
20 / 192W Flag of the United States.svg Mardy Fish 98Win (2)6–2, 5–7, 6–3
Miami Open
Miami, United States
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
24 March – 6 April 2008
1RBye
21 / 1932R Flag of South Africa.svg Kevin Anderson (Q)122Loss6–7(1–7), 6–3, 4–6
Masters Series Monte-Carlo
Monte Carlo, Monaco
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
21 – 27 April 2008
1RBye
22 / 1942R Flag of Croatia.svg Ivan Ljubičić 29Win6–3, 6–3
23 / 1953R Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Andy Murray (14)20Win6–0, 6–4
24 / 196QF Flag of the United States.svg Sam Querrey 50Win6–4, 6–0
25 / 197SF Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Roger Federer (1)1Loss3–6, 2–3 Ret.
Italian Open
Rome, Italy
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
5 – 11 May 2008
1RBye
26 / 1982R Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Steve Darcis 49Win6–4, 6–0
27 / 1993R Flag of Russia.svg Igor Andreev 26Win6–3, 3–6, 6–3
28 / 200QF Flag of Spain.svg Nicolas Almagro 21Win6–1, 1–0 Ret.
29 / 201SF Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Radek Štěpánek 27Win6–0, 1–0 Ret.
30 / 202W Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Stan Wawrinka 24Win (3)4–6, 6–3, 6–3
Hamburg Open
Hamburg, Germany
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
12 – 18 May 2008
1RBye
31 / 2032R Flag of Argentina.svg Juan Ignacio Chela 39Win6–3, 6–1
32 / 2043R Flag of Croatia.svg Ivo Karlović 24Win7–6(7–3), 6–3
33 / 205QF Flag of Spain.svg Albert Montañés 78Win6–2, 6–3
34 / 206SF Flag of Spain.svg Rafael Nadal (2)2Loss5–7, 6–2, 2–6
French Open
Paris, France
Grand Slam tournament
Clay, outdoor
26 May – 8 June 2008
35 / 2071R Flag of Germany.svg Denis Gremelmayr 64Win4–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–2
36 / 2082R Flag of Spain.svg Miguel Ángel López Jaén (Q)264Win6–1, 6–1, 6–3
37 / 2093R Flag of the United States.svg Wayne Odesnik (WC)106Win7–5, 6–4, 6–2
38 / 2104R Flag of France.svg Paul-Henri Mathieu (18)19Win6–4, 6–3, 6–4
39 / 211QF Flag of Latvia.svg Ernests Gulbis 80Win7–5, 7–6(7–3), 7–5
40 / 212SF Flag of Spain.svg Rafael Nadal (2)2Loss4–6, 2–6, 6–7(3–7)
Queens Club Championships
London, England
ATP Tour 250
Grass, outdoor
9 June – 15 June 2008
1RBye
41 / 2132R Flag of Croatia.svg Roko Karanušić 112Win6–2, 7–6(9–7)
42 / 2143R Flag of Serbia (2004-2010).svg Janko Tipsarević (13)39Win2–6, 6–1, 6–4
43 / 215QF Flag of Australia (converted).svg Lleyton Hewitt (11)30Win6–2, 6–2
44 / 216SF Flag of Argentina.svg David Nalbandian (4)8Win6–1, 6–0
45 / 217F Flag of Spain.svg Rafael Nadal (2)2Loss6–7(6–8), 5–7
Wimbledon Championships
London, United Kingdom
Grand Slam tournament
Grass, outdoor
23 June – 6 July 2008
46 / 2181R Flag of Germany.svg Michael Berrer 91Win7–5, 2–6, 6–3, 6–0
47 / 2192R Flag of Russia.svg Marat Safin 75Loss4–6, 6–7(3–7), 2–6
Canadian Open
Toronto, Canada
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
21 – 27 July 2008
1RBye
48 / 2202R Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Frank Dancevic (WC)82Win6–4, 6–4
49 / 2213R Flag of Sweden.svg Robin Söderling 49Win6–4, 6–4
50 / 222QF Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Andy Murray (8)9Loss3–6, 6–7(3–7)
Cincinnati Masters
Cincinnati, United States
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, outdoor
28 July – 3 August 2008
1RBye
51 / 2232R Flag of Italy.svg Simone Bolelli 50Win7–6(7–2), 7–6(7–2)
52 / 2243R Flag of Italy.svg Andreas Seppi 39Win6–1, 6–2
53 / 225QF Flag of Latvia.svg Ernests Gulbis 53Win6–3, 6–4
54 / 226SF Flag of Spain.svg Rafael Nadal (2)2Win6–1, 7–5
55 / 227F Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Andy Murray (8)9Loss6–7(4–7), 6–7(5–7)
2008 Summer Olympics
Beijing, China
Olympic Games
Hard, outdoor
11 – 17 August 2008
56 / 2281R Flag of the United States.svg Robby Ginepri 59Win6–4, 6–4
57 / 2292R Flag of Germany.svg Rainer Schüttler 35Win6–4, 6–2
58 / 2303R Flag of Russia.svg Mikhail Youzhny (13)22Win7–6(7–3), 6–3
59 / 231QF Flag of France.svg Gaël Monfils 43Win4–6, 6–1, 6–4
60 / 232SF Flag of Spain.svg Rafael Nadal (2)2Loss4–6, 6–1, 4–6
61 / 233SF-B Flag of the United States.svg James Blake (8)7Win6–3, 7–6(7–4)
US Open
New York City, United States
Grand Slam tournament
Hard, outdoor
25 August – 7 September 2008
62 / 2341R Flag of France.svg Arnaud Clément 78Win6–3, 6–3, 6–4
63 / 2352R Flag of the United States.svg Robert Kendrick (Q)113Win7–6(10–8), 6–4, 6–4
64 / 2363R Flag of Croatia.svg Marin Čilić (30)24Win6–7(7–9), 7–5, 6–4, 7–6(7–0)
65 / 2374R Flag of Spain.svg Tommy Robredo (15)15Win4–6, 6–2, 6–3, 5–7, 6–3
66 / 238QF Flag of the United States.svg Andy Roddick (8)8Win6–2, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(7–5)
67 / 239SF Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Roger Federer (2)2Loss3–6, 7–5, 5–7, 2–6
Davis Cup World Group
Playoff
: Slovakia vs Serbia

Bratislava, Slovakia
Davis Cup
Hard, indoor
19 – 21 September 2008
68 / 240RR Flag of Slovakia.svg Dominik Hrbatý 399Win6–2, 6–4, 6–3
Thailand Open
Bangkok, Thailand
ATP Tour 250
Hard, indoor
22 – 28 September 2008
1RBye
69 / 2412R Flag of Germany.svg Simon Stadler (Q)141Win6–1, 6–3
70 / 242QF Flag of Sweden.svg Robin Söderling (6)34Win6–4, 7–5
71 / 243SF Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Tomáš Berdych (3)27Win7–5, 6–1
72 / 244F Flag of France.svg Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2)20Loss6–7(4–7), 4–6
Madrid Open
Madrid, Spain
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, indoor
13 – 19 October 2008
1RBye
73 / 2452R Flag of Romania.svg Victor Hănescu (Q)73Win6–7(8–10), 7–6(8–6), 3–1 Ret.
74 / 2463R Flag of Croatia.svg Ivo Karlović (14)21Loss (2)6–7(4–7), 6–7(5–7)
Paris Masters
Paris, France
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, indoor
27 October – 2 November 2008
1RBye
75 / 2472R Flag of Russia.svg Dmitry Tursunov 26Win6–2, 4–3 Ret.
76 / 2483R Flag of France.svg Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (13)14Loss4–6, 6–1, 3–6
Tennis Masters Cup
Shanghai, China
ATP Finals
Hard, indoor
10 – 16 November 2008
77 / 249RR Flag of Argentina.svg Juan Martin del Potro (7)8Win7–5, 6–3
78 / 250RR Flag of Russia.svg Nikolay Davydenko (4)5Win7–6(7–3), 0–6, 7–5
79 / 251RR Flag of France.svg Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (6)7Loss6–1, 5–7, 1–6
80 / 252SF Flag of France.svg Gilles Simon (8)9Win4–6, 6–3, 7–5
81 / 253W Flag of Russia.svg Nikolay Davydenko (4)5Win (4)6–1, 7–5

Doubles matches

TournamentMatchRoundOpponents (seed or key)RanksResultScore
Davis Cup World Group
1st Round
: Serbia vs Russia

Moscow, Russia
Davis Cup
Hard, indoor
4 – 10 February 2008
Partner: Flag of Serbia (2004-2010).svg Nenad Zimonjić
1 / 37RR Flag of Russia.svg Dmitry Tursunov / Flag of Russia.svg Mikhail Youzhny 61 / 165Win6–3, 7–6(8–6), 7–6(7–5)
Masters Series Monte-Carlo
Monte Carlo, Monaco
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Clay, outdoor
13 – 19 April 2009
Partner: Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Radek Štěpánek
2 / 381R Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jordan Kerr / Flag of the Netherlands.svg Rogier Wassen 26 / 28Win6–4, 6–3
3 / 392R Flag of Sweden.svg Simon Aspelin / Flag of Austria.svg Julian Knowle (5)9 / 9Loss2–6, 6–7(3–7)
Queens Club Championships
London, England
ATP Tour 250
Grass, outdoor
9 June – 15 June 2008
Partner: Flag of Serbia (2004-2010).svg Janko Tipsarević
4 / 401R Flag of South Africa.svg Rik de Voest / Flag of South Africa.svg Chris Haggard (ALT)50 / 69Loss4–6, 6–7(4–7)
2008 Summer Olympics
Beijing, China
Olympic Games
Hard, outdoor
11 – 17 August 2008
Partner: Flag of Serbia (2004-2010).svg Nenad Zimonjić
5 / 411R Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Martin Damm / Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Pavel Vízner 27 / 14Loss6–3, 0–6, 2–6
Thailand Open
Bangkok, Thailand
ATP Tour 250
Hard, indoor
22 – 28 September 2008
Partner: Flag of Serbia (2004-2010).svg Marko Djoković
6 / 421R Flag of France.svg Fabrice Santoro / Flag of France.svg Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 87 / 80Loss2–6, 2–6
Paris Masters
Paris, France
ATP Tour Masters 1000
Hard, indoor
27 October – 2 November 2008
Partner: Flag of Serbia (2004-2010).svg Viktor Troicki
7 / 433R Flag of Argentina.svg José Acasuso / Flag of Spain.svg David Ferrer 93 / 421Loss4–6, 4–6

Yearly records

Finals

Singles: 7 (4 titles, 3 runner-up)

Category
Grand Slam (1–0)
ATP Finals (1–0)
Masters 1000 (2-1)
500 Series (0–0)
250 Series (0–2)
Titles by surface
Hard (3–2)
Clay (1–0)
Grass (0–1)
Titles by setting
Outdoor (3–2)
Indoor (1–1)
ResultW–L   Date   TournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Win8–3 Jan 2008 Australian Open, AustraliaGrand SlamHard Flag of France.svg Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(7–2)
Win9–3 Mar 2008 Indian Wells Masters, United StatesMastersHard Flag of the United States.svg Mardy Fish 6–2, 5–7, 6–3
Win10–3 May 2008 Italian Open, ItalyMastersClay Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Stan Wawrinka4–6, 6–3, 6–3
Loss10–4 Jun 2008 Queen's Club Championships, UK250 seriesGrass Flag of Spain.svg Rafael Nadal6–7(6–8), 5–7
Loss10–5 Aug 2008 Cincinnati Masters, United StatesMastersHard Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Andy Murray 6–7(4–7), 6–7(5–7)
Loss10–6 Sep 2008 Thailand Open, Thailand250 seriesHard (i) Flag of France.svg Jo-Wilfried Tsonga6–7(4–7), 4–6
Win11–6 Nov 2008 ATP Finals, ChinaTour FinalsHard (i) Flag of Russia.svg Nikolay Davydenko 6–1, 7–5

See also

References

  1. "U.S. edge out Serbia to win Hopman Cup". www.reuters.com. 4 January 2008. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  2. "Watch When Serena Williams Slammed Aces Against Novak Djokovic". www.essentiallysports.com. 4 May 2020. Archived from the original on 10 May 2020. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  3. "Djokovic crushes Federer to seal final spot". The Guardian. London, UK. 25 January 2008. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  4. "Novak Djokovic". The Times of India . 14 May 2010. Archived from the original on 31 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  5. 1 2 Hodgkinson, Mark (27 January 2008). "Novak Djokovic wins Australian Open" . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022.
  6. "Australian Open 2008". BBC Sport. 27 January 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  7. "Djokovic sinks Fish to seal Indian Wells title". Reuters. 24 March 2008. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  8. "Djokovic defeats Wawrinka in Rome". BBC Sport. 11 May 2008. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  9. "French Open: Ruthless Nadal crushes Djokovic to reach final". The Guardian. London. 6 June 2008. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  10. "Djokovic sent home by Safin in Wimbledon's second round". ESPN. 25 June 2008. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
  11. "Djokovic ends Nadal's winning streak". The Independent. 3 August 2008. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  12. "Djokovic wins Men's Singles bronze medal". The Official Website of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. 24 August 2008. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  13. "Angry Djokovic exacts revenge on Roddick". CNN. 5 September 2008. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  14. Newbery, Piers (16 November 2008). "Superb Djokovic wins Masters Cup". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.