Nenad Zimonjić facts for kids
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| Country (sports) |  Yugoslavia (1995–2003) Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2006) Serbia (2006–) |
|---|---|
| Residence | Belgrade, Serbia |
| Born | 4 June 1976 Belgrade, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia |
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Turned pro | 1995 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Marko Nešić |
| Prize money | US$8,437,703 |
| Official website | nenadzimonjic.com |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 12–25 (32.43% in ATP World Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 176 (29 March 1999) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2001) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1999) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 710–427 (62.45% in ATP World Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 54 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (17 November 2008) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2010) |
| French Open | W (2010) |
| Wimbledon | W (2008, 2009) |
| US Open | QF (2006, 2009, 2015) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (2008, 2010) |
| Mixed doubles | |
| Career titles | 5 |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2004, 2008) |
| French Open | W (2006, 2010) |
| Wimbledon | W (2014) |
| US Open | F (2005) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (2010) |
Nenad Zimonjić (born 4 June 1976) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He was once ranked the world's best in doubles tennis.
He has won eight Grand Slam titles. These include men's doubles at Wimbledon in 2008 and 2009. He also won the French Open in 2010 with his partner Daniel Nestor.
In mixed doubles, Nenad won the Australian Open twice (2004, 2008). He also won the French Open twice (2006, 2010). His fifth mixed doubles title was at Wimbledon in 2014. He reached nine other major finals too.
Nenad won 54 doubles titles on the ATP Tour. This includes the Tour Finals in 2008 and 2010. He also won 15 Masters 1000-level titles. He became world No. 1 in November 2008. He stayed at the top for 50 weeks over two years.
In singles, his highest ranking was world No. 176 in March 1999. His best Grand Slam result was reaching the third round at Wimbledon that year. Nenad played for Serbia in the Davis Cup from 1995 to 2017. He played in 55 matches and won 43 times. This makes him Serbia's most successful Davis Cup player.
He was part of the team that won the Davis Cup in 2010. He also led the team as captain from 2017 to 2020. During this time, Serbia won the first-ever ATP Cup in 2020. Nenad also played in the Olympic Games four times.
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His Amazing Doubles Career
Nenad became a professional tennis player in 1995. He became well-known after a surprise win in mixed doubles at the 2004 Australian Open. He teamed up with Elena Bovina for the first time. They beat the champions in a quick match.
With Katarina Srebotnik from Slovenia, he won the 2006 French Open title. They won against Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva. At Wimbledon in 2006, Nenad reached the men's doubles final.
In 2007, Nenad and Katarina Srebotnik reached the 2007 French Open mixed doubles final again. They lost to Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram. After Wimbledon, Nenad teamed up with Mahesh Bhupathi. Later, he partnered with Daniel Nestor.
Nestor and Zimonjić won the 2007 St. Petersburg Open without losing a set. They then won 2008 Wimbledon, which was Nenad's first Grand Slam. They also won 2009 Wimbledon and the 2010 French Open.
In 2009, they won their Wimbledon title again. They also won five Masters 1000 titles. As part of the Serbian team at the World Team Cup, Nenad helped Serbia win. He and Victor Troicki won two important games. Serbia won its group and then beat Germany in the final.
In 2010, Nenad and Daniel Nestor were runners-up at the Australian Open. Later that year, Nenad won both men's doubles with Nestor and mixed doubles with Katarina Srebotnik at Roland Garros. Nenad and Nestor stopped playing together after winning the ATP World Tour Finals.
In 2011, Nenad partnered with Michaël Llodra. They won one Masters 1000 title and four ATP 500 titles. Their partnership ended in mid-2012. In 2014, Nenad and Nestor played together again. They both returned to the top 10 rankings.
In 2015, Nenad first partnered with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi. Then he teamed up with Marcin Matkowski. Even though they didn't win a title, they qualified for the World Tour Finals. Nenad won titles every year for 16 seasons in a row. He also finished 12 straight seasons in the ATP doubles top 20. Since 2016, Nenad has not had a steady partner.
On July 26, 2017, Nenad became the 10th player to win 700 or more doubles matches. In June 2018, Nenad had hip surgery. He returned to the ATP tour in February 2019. He played at the Sofia Open with Viktor Troicki. They had won the doubles title there two years before.
Recent Years: 2021–2024
Nenad Zimonjić never officially said he was retiring. However, he did not play on the ATP Tour for over two years. This break lasted from the Dubai Tennis Championships 2021 until 2023.
In 2022, Nenad partnered with Marion Bartoli. They won the first-ever Wimbledon mixed invitation doubles event. They beat Todd Woodbridge and Cara Black in the final.
In 2023, Nenad successfully defended his Wimbledon mixed invitation doubles title. He played with Rennae Stubbs. They won against Greg Rusedski and Conchita Martinez in the final.
In 2023, he said he wanted to return to the ATP tour. He played in three ATP Challenger Tour events that summer. However, he lost in the first round of all three. In 2024, he reached the final of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships – Mixed invitation doubles with Barbara Schett. They lost to Mark Woodforde and Dominika Cibulkova.
Playing Singles Tennis
In August 1994, Nenad won his first professional singles title. He beat Miles MacLagan in Hungary. He also won four other ITF events. He won four Challenger tour titles in singles too. These were in Kyiv (1998), Belo Horizonte (2000), Andrezieux (2001), and Belgrade (2004).
In 2004, he beat Andre Agassi in St. Pölten. In 2005, he defeated Nicolas Kiefer in Halle. He also beat other famous players like Ivo Karlovic in 2000 and Nicolas Mahut in 2001.
Playing for His Country: Davis Cup and ATP Cup
Nenad has been a member of the Serbia Davis Cup team since 1995. He played both singles and doubles. From 2003 to 2004, he was the playing captain for his national team. As more strong Serbian singles players appeared, Nenad became a doubles specialist. He partnered with players like Novak Djokovic, Janko Tipsarević, and Viktor Troicki.
In 2010, Serbia won its first-ever Davis Cup title. They beat the United States, Croatia, and the Czech Republic. They then won against France in the final match. Nenad played in all four doubles matches during the competition. He won one match against Croatia. To celebrate, all the players shaved their heads. The Serbian postal service even made a stamp with the players' pictures.
In the 2013 quarterfinals against the United States, Nenad and Ilija Bozoljac had a great five-set win. They beat the top-ranked Bryan brothers. Nenad was the captain of the Serbia Davis Cup team from 2017 to 2020. He was also the captain when Serbia won the first 2020 ATP Cup in 2020.
Life Outside of Tennis
Nenad Zimonjić was born in Belgrade, Serbia. He grew up in the Borča area. Now, he lives in New Belgrade. His family comes from the Gacko region. His mother was born in Gospić.
In 2008, he married Mina Knežević, a former model. On December 3, 2008, his wife gave birth to twins, Leon and Luna.
Awards and Achievements
Nenad Zimonjić has received many awards for his tennis career:
- 1994: Best Male Tennis Player in FR Yugoslavia
- 1996: Best Male Tennis Player in FR Yugoslavia
- 1998: Best Male Tennis Player in FR Yugoslavia
- 2001: Best Male Tennis Player in FR Yugoslavia
- 2007: Serbian Sport Association "May Award"
- 2008: Year-end No. 1 (with Daniel Nestor)
- 2008: ATP Doubles Team of the Year (with Daniel Nestor)
- 2008: ITF Men's doubles World Champion (with Daniel Nestor)
- 2010: Recognized for playing 50 matches for the Serbia Davis Cup team
- 2012: Awarded Pride of the Nation by Serbia Tennis Federation
- 2012: Davis Cup Commitment Award
- 2013: Davis Cup Award of Excellence
Images for kids
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Nenad Zimonjić on a Serbian stamp from 2008.
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Nenad Zimonjić (in front) with Novak Djokovic during a Davis Cup match in 2010.
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Nenad's son, Leon Zimonjić, in 2011.
