The player Novak Djokovic called his closest friend early in his career

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Novak Djokovic has been at the top level of the ATP Tour since his debut back in 2004, and he continues to play in 2025.

Even at 38 years old, Djokovic is still a threat, reaching the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams this season.

Despite having already secured every major title on tour, he’s still going up against top names like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Back when he was just starting out, Djokovic once referred to a now-retired player as his ‘best friend’ during their time together in the Davis Cup.

Novak Djokovic called Janko Tipsarevic his ‘best friend’

Djokovic has plenty of history with the Davis Cup, and he was part of the Serbian squad that took home the trophy in 2010.

Serbia got past France in the final, with Djokovic winning against Gael Monfils and Gilles Simon to help secure his country’s first title.

He played alongside Janko Tipsarevic, who also made an impact in that tie by beating Monfils in the opening rubber. Tipsarevic later reached a career-high ranking of world No. 8 before retiring from professional tennis in 2019.

The two have known each other since their junior days and stayed close throughout their careers. While they rarely teamed up for doubles matches, both players found success on their own in singles play.

Tipsarevic picked up four ATP titles during his time on tour and scored wins over some top names, including Djokovic himself, as well as Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and Tomas Berdych.

Novak Djokovic supported Janko Tipsarevic through injury

Djokovic and Tipsarevic stayed close throughout Tipsarevic’s career, with Djokovic even stepping in to support him during a difficult injury spell.

In 2015, after Tipsarevic had been sidelined for almost 18 months, Djokovic joined him for doubles at the Miami Open.

Talking about their relationship, Djokovic said: “I know him for such a long time. We are great friends.”

He added that his decision was to show support “as a friend and as a colleague, [to] be close to him, to give him support, to let him know that I’m there.”

Their return together didn’t go as planned though. They dropped their first-round match in Miami in a tight tiebreak against Robert Lindstedt and Jurgen Melzer.

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