Daniel Nestor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Daniel Nestor
CM

Nestor at the Canada vs. The Netherlands Davis Cup (Sep 2018)
Native name	Danijel Nestorović
Country (sports)	Canada
Residence	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Born	(1972-09-04) September 4, 1972 (age 52) Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Turned pro	1991
Retired	2018
Plays	Left-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money	US$12,835,671
Singles
Career record	85–118 (41.87%)
Career titles	0
Highest ranking	No. 58 (August 23, 1999)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	3R (1998, 1999, 2001)
French Open	1R (1997, 1998, 1999)
Wimbledon	4R (1999)
US Open	2R (1995, 2000)
Other tournaments
Olympic Games	3R (2000)
Doubles
Career record	1062–488 (68.52%)
Career titles	91 (3rd in the Open Era)
Highest ranking	No. 1 (August 19, 2002)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (2002)
French Open	W (2007, 2010, 2011, 2012)
Wimbledon	W (2008, 2009)
US Open	W (2004)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour Finals	W (2007, 2008, 2010, 2011)
Olympic Games	W (2000)
Mixed doubles
Career titles	4
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open	W (2007, 2011, 2014)
French Open	F (2006, 2013)
Wimbledon	W (2013)
US Open	F (2003)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	SF (2013)
Medal record Representing  Canada Men's tennis Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney Doubles

Nestor next to countryman Fred Niemeyer (right), his Davis Cup and Olympics partner from 2002 through 2009.

Daniel Mark Nestor is a famous Canadian tennis player who used to play professionally. He was born Danijel Nestorović on September 4, 1972.

Nestor won an amazing 91 men's doubles titles during his career. He achieved this with 11 different partners! His biggest wins include an Olympic gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He also won four Tour Finals titles and twelve major doubles titles. These major titles include eight in men's doubles and four in mixed doubles.

Daniel Nestor was the first man in tennis history to win every major and Masters event. He also won the Tour Finals and an Olympic gold medal. This is a huge achievement! He was named part of the ATP Doubles Team of the Year in 2002, 2004, and 2008. In August 2002, Nestor became the world No. 1 doubles player.

Many people think Nestor is one of the best doubles players ever. This is because he played for a very long time and kept winning at the top level. In January 2016, he became the first doubles player to win 1000 matches! He was always ranked in the top 100 in doubles from April 1994 to April 2018. That's 1134 weeks in a row! Nestor stopped playing professionally at the end of the 2018 season, after a 27-year career.

Daniel Nestor's Tennis Journey

Daniel Nestor started his professional tennis journey in 1991. He quickly became known for his amazing doubles skills.

Early Career and First Wins

Nestor won his very first doubles title in 1994 in Bogotá, Colombia. He teamed up with Mark Knowles for this win. They beat the famous French Open champions, Luke and Murphy Jensen, in the final match.

Playing for Canada: Davis Cup and Olympics

Nestor was a key member of the Canadian Davis Cup team for a long time, from 1992 to 2018. In 1992, he became famous when he beat the world's top player, Stefan Edberg, in a tough singles match in Vancouver. In 2013, he helped Canada make history. Their team reached the World Group semifinals for the first time ever in the Open Era.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Nestor and his partner Sébastien Lareau won a gold medal! This was Canada's first-ever medal in tennis at the Olympics. They won four more titles together, including a big win at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Canada. After the Olympics, Nestor also won titles with Kevin Ullyett and Sandon Stolle.

Wimbledon and Grand Slam Success

On July 5, 2006, Daniel Nestor played in the second-longest match in Wimbledon history. It lasted an incredible 6 hours and 9 minutes!

Nestor won three Grand Slam doubles titles with his long-time partner Mark Knowles from the Bahamas. They won the 2002 Australian Open, the 2004 US Open, and the 2007 French Open. They also reached many other Grand Slam finals together.

In mixed doubles, where a male and female player team up, Nestor reached his first final at the 2003 US Open. He won the mixed doubles title at the 2007 Australian Open with Elena Likhovtseva.

New Partners, More Trophies

In 2007, Nestor and Mark Knowles decided to play with different partners. Nestor then teamed up with Nenad Zimonjić. They had already won a title together in 2001. Their new partnership quickly became successful. They won their first major title together at the 2008 Hamburg Masters.

Nestor and Zimonjić then won the 2008 Wimbledon title. This was Nestor's first Wimbledon win, and it meant he had won all four major Grand Slam titles in his career! They also won the 2008 Tennis Masters Cup that year. In 2009, they won Wimbledon again and eight more titles. In 2010, they won the French Open. They ended their partnership on a high note by winning the ATP World Tour Finals. Between 2008 and 2010, they won 21 ATP titles together.

From 2011 to 2012, Nestor partnered with Max Mirnyi. In their first tournament together, Nestor won his 783rd career doubles match. This broke the record for the most all-time match wins! Nestor and Mirnyi won the 2011 French Open and the 2011 ATP World Tour Finals. In 2012, they won their second straight French Open title. Nestor also won his second mixed doubles title at the 2011 Australian Open with Katarina Srebotnik.

In 2013, Nestor teamed up with Mahesh Bhupathi and later Robert Lindstedt. He won the 2013 Wimbledon mixed doubles title with Kristina Mladenovic. He also reached a big milestone, becoming the first player in ATP history to get 900 career doubles wins!

In 2014, Nestor reunited with Nenad Zimonjić. They won two titles together early in the year. Nestor also won his third Australian Open mixed doubles title with Kristina Mladenovic. He won his 84th career doubles title, moving him to 3rd overall in ATP history. They also won two Masters 1000 titles in a row.

In 2015, Nestor won his 86th doubles title with a new partner, Rohan Bopanna. This was his 9th different partner to win a title with! He continued to win titles with different partners, showing his adaptability and skill.

Retirement

On June 20, 2018, Daniel Nestor announced he would retire in September 2018. He played his last professional match on September 15, 2018, at the 2018 Davis Cup World Group play-offs in Toronto. He ended his amazing 27-year career at 46 years old.

Life Outside Tennis

Daniel Nestor was born Danijel Nestorović. His parents moved to Canada from Serbia in 1976, when he was almost four years old. They settled in Toronto, where he went to school and joined a special sports program.

In July 2005, Nestor married Nataša Gavrilović. They have two daughters, Tiana Alexis (born 2008) and Bianca Willow (born 2013). The family now lives in the Bahamas.

Nestor has received many honors for his achievements. In November 2010, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. This is one of Canada's highest honors! In 2011, he received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame. He also got an honorary doctorate from York University in 2012. In 2024, Nestor was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

Grand Slam Finals

Daniel Nestor played in many Grand Slam finals throughout his career. Here are some of his biggest matches:

Men's Doubles Grand Slam Finals: 17 (8 Wins, 9 Runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	2002	Australian Open	Hard	Mark Knowles	Michaël Llodra Fabrice Santoro	7–6(7–4), 6–3
Win	2004	US Open	Hard	Mark Knowles	Leander Paes David Rikl	6–3, 6–3
Win	2007	French Open	Clay	Mark Knowles	Lukáš Dlouhý Pavel Vízner	2–6, 6–3, 6–2
Win	2008	Wimbledon	Grass	Nenad Zimonjić	Jonas Björkman Kevin Ullyett	7–6(14–12), 6–7(3–7), 6–3, 6–3
Win	2009	Wimbledon	Grass	Nenad Zimonjić	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	7–6(9–7), 6–7(3–7), 7–6(7–3), 6–3
Win	2010	French Open	Clay	Nenad Zimonjić	Lukáš Dlouhý Leander Paes	7–5, 6–2
Win	2011	French Open	Clay	Max Mirnyi	Juan Sebastián Cabal Eduardo Schwank	7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–4
Win	2012	French Open	Clay	Max Mirnyi	Bob Bryan Mike Bryan	6–4, 6–4

Mixed Doubles Grand Slam Finals: 9 (4 Wins, 5 Runner-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	2007	Australian Open	Hard	Elena Likhovtseva	Victoria Azarenka Max Mirnyi	6–4, 6–4
Win	2011	Australian Open	Hard	Katarina Srebotnik	Yung-Jan Chan Paul Hanley	6–3, 3–6, [10–7]
Win	2013	Wimbledon	Grass	Kristina Mladenovic	Lisa Raymond Bruno Soares	5–7, 6–2, 8–6
Win	2014	Australian Open	Hard	Kristina Mladenovic	Sania Mirza Horia Tecău	6–3, 6–2

Wins Over Top Players

Daniel Nestor has beaten some of the best tennis players in the world. Here are a few of his notable wins against top-10 ranked opponents:

No.	Opponent	Opponent's Rank	Event	Surface	Round	Score	Nestor's Rank
1992
1.	Stefan Edberg	1	Davis Cup, Vancouver, Canada	Carpet (i)	1R	4–6, 6–3, 1–6, 6–3, 6–4	238
1996
2.	Andre Agassi	6	Indianapolis, United States	Hard	2R	1–6, 3–2 def.	140
3.	Thomas Muster	2	Toronto, Canada	Hard	2R	6–3, 7–5	123
1997
4.	Thomas Enqvist	7	Miami, United States	Hard	2R	7–6(11–9), 6–3	115

Awards and Recognition

Daniel Nestor has received many awards for his outstanding tennis career:

• 1997 – Tennis Canada male player of the year
• 2000 – Tennis Canada male player of the year
• 2001 – Tennis Canada male player of the year
• 2002 – ATP Doubles Team of the Year
• 2002 – ITF Doubles World Champion
• 2003 – Tennis Canada male player of the year
• 2004 – ATP Doubles Team of the Year
• 2004 – Tennis Canada male player of the year
• 2005 – Tennis Canada male player of the year
• 2007 – Tennis Canada male player of the year
• 2008 – ATP Doubles Team of the Year
• 2008 – ITF Doubles World Champion
• 2008 – Tennis Canada male player of the year
• 2009 – Tennis Canada male player of the year
• 2010 – Tennis Canada male player of the year
• 2012 – Davis Cup Commitment Award

Images for kids

• 

  Nestor next to countryman Fred Niemeyer (right), his Davis Cup and Olympics partner from 2002 through 2009.