TENNIS

The 10 best Serbian tennis players of all time

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Everyone knows that Novak Djokovic is not only the greatest Serbian tennis player but also the best tennis player in the world of all time. But who else ranks among the top 10 Serbian tennis players of all time?

Novak has played a huge role in promoting tennis in Serbia, and thanks to him, the country currently has five players ranked inside the ATP Top 100 — an incredible achievement for a nation of our size.

Moreover, since the creation of the ATP rankings on August 23, 1973, Serbia has had a total of 11 tennis players who have managed to break into the world’s Top 100 at some point in their careers. In other words, half of them are still active today.

Interestingly, that number could have been even higher if Ilija Bozoljac had improved his career-best ranking by just one spot. His highest position came in 2007, when he reached No. 101 on the ATP list.

So, who are the top ten (or rather eleven) Serbian tennis players of all time, based on their career-high ATP rankings?

 

11. NIKOLA SPEAR

Nikola Spear (1944-2017) achieved the best placement in his career on July 2nd, 1977, when he took  78th place . This man from Subotica is also known for defeating French tennis player Daniel Conte 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 in the first round at Roland Garros in 1968. It was the first such result in the history of the Grand Slam tournament, and later it was repeated only three more times. In the strongest tournaments, Spear reached the fourth round of Roland Garros twice (1966 and 1967).

 

10. BORIS PASANSKI

On February 27th, 2006, Boris Pasanski took the 55th place on the ATP rankings, primarily thanks to very well played tournaments on clay, which was his favorite surface. In his career, he did not manage to win a single title at the ATP level, and his best finish in Grand Slam tournaments was the second round of the Australian Open in 2006.

9. HAMAD MEDJEDOVIC

Hamad Medjedovic showcased his great potential by winning the 2023 Next Gen Finals, but it took him more than a year to break into the world’s Top 100 for the first time in his career.

Once he achieved that milestone, Medjedovic continued to deliver impressive results. After strong performances at ATP tournaments throughout the spring and summer, he reached a career-high ranking of No. 57 on August 25, 2025. This achievement places him ninth on our list.

His best Grand Slam result so far came at the 2025 French Open, where he reached the third round. At Wimbledon and the US Open, he hasn’t progressed beyond the first round, and he is still waiting to make his main draw debut at the Australian Open.

8. MIOMIR KECMANOVIC

At the beginning of 2023, Miomir Kecmanovic reached his career-high ranking of world No. 27. So far, “Misha” has won two ATP titles — the first in Kitzbühel in 2020, and the second in Delray Beach in 2025.

When it comes to Grand Slam tournaments, his best results are two fourth-round appearances at the Australian Open, in 2022 and 2024.

7. LASLO DJERE

Laslo Djere’s career-high ATP ranking, just like Miomir Kecmanovic’s, is world No. 27, which he achieved on June 10, 2019. So far, he has won three ATP titles in his career.

His best Grand Slam result is reaching the third round — a stage he reached twice at Roland Garros (in 2019 and 2021), as well as at both Wimbledon and the US Open in 2023.

6. FILIP KRAJINOVIC

Filip Krajinovic’s career-high ATP ranking is one place higher than that of Kecmanovic and Djere — world No. 26, achieved on April 23, 2018. Unfortunately, Krajinovic has never won an ATP title, but he did reach the final of the Paris Masters. At the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and the US Open, he has made it to the third round on several occasions.

 

5. DUSAN LAJOVIC

After reaching the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, where he was defeated by Fabio Fognini, Dusan Lajovic achieved his career-high ATP ranking of world No. 23 on April 29, 2019. Lajovic has won two ATP titles in his career — the first in Umag, Croatia, and the second at the Serbia Open in Banja Luka. His best Grand Slam results are fourth-round appearances at the Australian Open in 2021 and Roland Garros in 2014.

 

4. SLOBODAN ZIVOJINOVIC

Slobodan Boba Zivojinovic was by far the best Serbian tennis player in history for a very long time, until the arrival of Novak’s generation. Boba’s 19th place,  which he reached on October 26th, 1987, seemed unattainable. Zivojinovic, the husband of famous Yugoslavian singer – Lepa Brena, played in the semifinals of Wimbledon in 1986 and won two ATP singles titles in his career.

 

3. VIKTOR TROICKI

On June 6th, 2011, Troicki was ranked 12th on the ATP rankings, which remained his best ranking until the end of his career. Viktor could have even entered the top ten if he hadn’t been suspended for a year due to doping charges.

Viktor managed to get back into the top 20 after the break, but a place in the top ten remained a forever elusive dream. In his career, he won three titles at the ATP level, along with the Davis Cup trophy. The furthest he reached at the Slams was the fourth round at Roland Garros (2011, 2013 and 2016) and at Wimbledon (2012 and 2015).

 

2. JANKO TIPSAREVIC

Along with Novak, Janko is, to this day, the only Serbian tennis player who managed to enter the Top 10 on the ATP rankings in singles. He was world number eight for the first time on April 2nd, 2012, and when you look at which players  were among the top ten at that time , the success gains even more importance. Janko won four titles in his career, along with the Davis Cup. At the US Open, he reached the quarterfinals twice – in 2011 and 2012.

1. NOVAK DJOKOVIC

Novak appeared on  the first place  of the ATP rankings for the first time on July 4th, 2011 and has spent  a total of 428 weeks on number 1, which is an absolute record. He is the owner of 24 Grand Slam trophies (10 Australian Open, 3 Roland Garros, 7 Wimbledon and 4 US Open) in addition to the Davis Cup trophy and gold at the Olympic Games. He won a total of 100 titles in his career and is already breaking his own records.

 

Honorable mention: Nenad Zimonjic

Although his best rank in singles was 176th place, Nenad Zimonjic reached the first place in the world in the doubles on November 17th, 2008 which made him second Serbian player ever to reach such feat after Slobodan Zivojinovic in 1986.

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