So much has been written about the rise to the rank Number 3 in the world of Novak Djokovic in 2008, that we tend to forget he is only 22 years old. His only Grand Slam win was the 2008 Australian Open where he beat Tsonga in the final and Federer in the semi final. He went on to win two more singles titles at Indian Wells and in Rome. His next tournament is the Madrid Masters which starts on October 13^th.

Nole as he is known to his family and friends has two tennis playing brothers. Marko who is 17, and Djorje who is 13. Marko played doubles with Nole in the Thailand open last week but lost 6-2, 6-2 to the French duo of Santoro and Tsonga. Novak is not known for his doubles play, he’s actually not very good at all, and maybe its an area he should concentrate on to help improve his net play. Both brothers answered Nole when they were asked who their favourite player was, but young Djorje added that he thought maybe after his brother Ana Ivanovic was his favourite. Smart kid! One thing all three agree on is that chocolate ice cream is their favourite flavour.

Since the Beijing Olympics Novak’s name has been linked with that of glamorous Paraguayan athlete Leryn Franco, the former winner of Miss Bikini Universe and a runner up in the Miss Paraguay contest. Novak claims they are just friends, we all need friends like Leryn, but she attended all his matches in China and coincidentally was court side at the US Open.

For the past 2 years Novak has been coached by former ATP professional Marion Vajda, and he is credited for much of the success that Novak has enjoyed and the meteoritic rise of his star pupil in the world rankings. Novak has been a fixture at the number 3 position behind Nadal and Federer for much of the 2008 season, and has beaten both of them. He has been criticized for his ‘faking injury’ attitude on court, but it has been revealed by people close to him that he was indeed playing in pain during the US Open. As a young player he has played too many tournaments and too many long 5 set matches. He needs to rest at the end of this season to be in good condition to defend his title at the 2009 Australian Open. As the third seeded player he will have the unenviable task of playing Roger Federer in the semi final, a repeat of the 2008 US Open, and if Federer plays as he did in that tournament he may be too tough for Novak to overcome.

Along with fellow Serbian players Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic, Novak has become an idol in his home country and an inspiration to thousands of kids who have taken up the game and displaced soccer as the premier game of choice.