Novak wins BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2011 overseas award!

   Serbian tennis star and world no.1 Novak Djokovic, who won three of four Grand Slams in 2011, has been named BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year. (VIDEO)
 
Nole won his first 41 matches of the year and deposed Spaniard Rafael Nadal as world number one. ENJOY!
In addition to winning the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open, the 24-year-old Belgrade native picked up another seven titles (Dubai, Belgrade and 5 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophies).
 
   He beat Barcelona star Argentine Lionel Messi and German Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel to the award.
 
   It is the sixth time in the past eleven years that a tennis player has won the award and the winner was decided by a panel of sports editors from national and regional newspapers and magazines.
 
Nole follows in the footsteps of Rod Laver (1969), Arthur Ashe (1975), Bjorn Borg (1979), Jimmy Connors (1982), Boris Becker (1985), Andre Agassi (1992), Goran Ivanisevic (2001), Roger Federer (2004, 2006-07) and Rafael Nadal (2010).
 
   His climb to the top of the world rankings ended a period of more than seven years when the position no.1 had been held by either Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal.

  SOURCE: Novak Djokovic Official WebSite  and  FiveeNil. Thanks to all.
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Novak voted US Sports Academy’s 2011 Male Athlete of the Year!

   The world no.1 tennis player - Novak Nole Djokovic of Serbia - and the world's no.1-ranked women's golfer - Yani Tseng of Taiwan - are the United States Sports Academy's 2011 Male and Female Athletes of the Year.
   These two top-ranked standouts, who dominated their sports during the past season, were chosen by hundreds of thousands of sports fans worldwide in online balloting from Dec.1 to Dec.19. It is the 27th consecutive year that the Academy has conducted the Athlete of the Year award in conjunction with USA Today and NBC Sports.
 
Stars like David Beckham, Ryan Lochte, Rory McIlroy and Dirk Nowitzki were among nominees.
 
   Nole completed one of the best seasons in men’s tennis history by winning 10 titles, including three Grand Slam trophies - the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. The 24-year-old Serbian star became only the fifth player in the open era to win three majors in a calendar year and also captured a record-breaking five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles.
  SOURCE: Novak Djokovic Official WebSite
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Best GS / DC matches of the year: USO and RG semis Novak vs Federer!

   ATPWorldTour.com has chosen the two best matches of the year from Grand Slam events and Davis Cup.
 
   Novak vs Roger Federer US Open semi-final (6-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5) is the best match of the 2011 season.
   History repeated itself in the US Open semis as Novak saved two match points to beat Federer in an epic five-set clash for the second year in a row. The 2011 encounter was made even more dramatic with Nole rallying from a two-set deficit for the second time in his career to prevail in three hours and 51 minutes.

Novak vs Roger Federer Roland Garros semi-final (6-7, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7) is the second best.

  SOURCE: Novak Djokovic Official WebSite ,  NoleOFFICIAL  and  WorldsTennis24
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Djokovic vs Murray Rome semis the best ATP World Tour match of 2011!!!

   Nole vs Andy Murray Rome semi-final encounter (6-1, 3-6, 7-6) has been labelled the best ATP World Tour match of the 2011 season!
   In the classic match at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Andy came close to ending Nole’s then-37-match winning streak, but was ultimately denied by the 24-year-old Belgrade native, who had forgotten how to lose.
 
   After the semis, doubles world no.1 player Bob Bryan tweeted: "Just watched some of the greatest displays of shot-making & guts I have ever seen. Thank u @andy_murray & @DjokerNole. You are both champs."

   Novak’s victory over Nadal in the Sony Ericsson Open final (4-6, 6-3, 7-6) is ranked the second best ATP World Tour match of the season.
 
   Nole came from a set down and prevailed in a decisive tie-break. Both players received a standing ovation from the sell-out 14,625 Miami crowd.

  SOURCE: Novak Djokovic Offcial WebSite ,  Muse7222  and  RFmeastro. Thanks to all.
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Novak and Kvitova named 2011 ITF World Champions!

The ITF announced today that Novak and Petra Kvitova (CZE) are the 2011 ITF World Champions. This is the first time either player has received this honour.
   The ITF World Champions will receive their awards at the annual ITF World Champions Dinner on Tuesday, June 5, in Paris, during Roland Garros.
 
   Nole becomes the first man other than Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal to be named ITF World Champion since 2003. The 24-year-old Serbian star enjoyed a remarkable 12 months, beginning with a 43-match winning streak, and ending with three Grand Slam titles, Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open, and the year-end no. 1 ranking. He won a total of 10 titles in 2011, boasting a 70-6 overall win-loss record.
  SOURCE: Novak Djokovic Official WebSite
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ATP World Tour: Djokovic – Federer USO semis top comeback of the year!!!

   Nole’s comeback in the US Open semi-final match against five-time champion Roger Federer is the top comeback of the 2011 season.
 
   The Swiss took the first two sets. He had a 178-1 record when winning the first two sets of a Grand Slam match - the only loss coming against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Wimbledon two months earlier.
   Nole had come back from a 0-2 sets deficit just once in his career - also at Wimbledon, in 2005, against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, a victory that lifted him into the top 100 for the first time.
 
In September 2011, as the world no. 1, Nole roared back to force a decider with service breaks to start both the third and fourth sets. Roger regained the lead in the fifth, breaking Novak’s serve in the eight game and setting up two match points, a situation they’d found themselves in 2010. In that match, Nole had come up with two winners, down 4-5, 15/40, and had admitted afterwards:
 
“ To be honest I was just closing my eyes and hitting forehands as fast as I can on the match points. ”
  SOURCE: Novak Djokovci Official WebSite
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GQ: Novak named ACE of the Year!

GQ, the leading men’s general-interest magazine, announced the 2011 Men of the Year: the annual list of the men (and woman) who entertained, excited, and inspired us most this year. The biggest names in music, film, theater and sports are recognised in the December issue.
 
  Novak was named "Ace of the Year".

  On the unlikely rise of tennis's new hero
 
   Tennis was not expecting this, a year ago. Tennis did not see the need. Tennis already had written the script, and it was a perfectly satisfactory one, if you liked tennis. There, in the near court, was Roger Federer, the most wonderful and successful player anyone had ever seen, slowly beginning his natural decline as he entered his 30s. Across the net was Rafael Nadal, possibly-debatably! - superior even to Federer. Certainly younger, in his mid-20s; sleek and powerful like a Grecian statue, or a tawny replica of a Grecian statue made of expensive Iberian ham.
 
  They would play each other, Roger and Rafa, age trying to fend off youth with grace and guts. Their rivalry would be beautiful and moving; fans would choose sides, pull for Federer to bravely turn back the clock, tell themselves they were seeing the greatest tennis in history.
 
   Novak Djokovic? Somebody had to lose to Federer or Nadal in the semis. So bring on the rawboned Serb: a nifty returner, a locker-room cutup, a guy one ineffable degree shy of championship material. He'd won the 2008 Australian Open, OK, and he'd beaten Federer in a wild match at the U.S. Open in 2010, but he seemed to have bobbed up to his natural level. Nadal was 16-7 against him, and 5-0 in tournament finals; Federer was 13-6. To wrap up their 2010 season, both of them beat him at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. He was 23 and ranked No. 3, and after helping pull off a Serbian victory in the Davis Cup final, he was able to close out the year on a two-match winning streak.
 
   Then the calendar turned over, and so did the sport. Djokovic beat Nadal on grass, on clay, and on hard court, in California, Miami, Madrid, Rome, London, and New York. He beat Federer in Australia, Dubai, California-three consecutive tournaments-lost an epic match to him at the French Open, then beat him again in Flushing. Roger and Rafa seemed as excellent as ever. But Djokovic had crossed over into the world of the '85 Bears, Pedro Martinez, Usain Bolt. It didn't matter how good anyone else was.
 
   What changed? Djokovic is in Monte Carlo, and someone has handed him a cell phone with a dying battery to answer questions about the inexplicable. "I've matured as a player", he says. "I've matured as a person. I know what to do. I know how to handle my life, my career." His training is the same as ever, he says. He has the same coaches he's had for years. He switched to a gluten-free diet, which he believes helps with his breathing and allergies, and which has introduced him to a worldwide community of people eager to recommend specialized restaurants, but he doesn't give credit to food magic.
 
" I just wasn't consistent enough, and I just wasn't actually believing enough that I could get it together and start winning more major events and be No. 1 ", he says.
 
  Maturity, he says. During Wimbledon, as he closed in on the No. 1 ranking, he spent his time off the court trying to get a squirrel to eat out of his hand and tweeting about his progress. " The squirrel was one of my close friends in London ", he says. " Unfortunately, I didn't see her after I won the title, because I wanted to celebrate it with her. "
  SOURCE: Novak Djokovic Official WebSite
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Novak receives ATP World Tour no.1 trophy!

   Novak was officially honoured as the year-end ATP World Tour no.1 on Tuesday. In a special on-court ceremony at The O2, the Serbian star was presented with the award, crafted by Tipperary Crystal, by ATP Executive Chairman and President Adam Helfant.
 
 “ It feels fantastic, making history obviously is a big privilege, ” said Novak, who has recorded a 70-4 match record so far this season, highlighted by winning three Grand Slam trophies. “It’s something I always dreamed about, becoming the best in the world, and finishing the year as no.1 in the world and it’s come true. This year has been the best of my life, the best of my career. All my dreams have been realised and I’m just trying to enjoy every single moment of it and this trophy,” added the 24-year old.
“ I was fortunate enough to have a group of people really believing in me, in my qualities, believing that I could be the best one day. It all came down to myself, if I was really able to bring it or not. Especially in the era of Nadal and Federer, who have been so dominant, it makes my success even bigger. ”
 
   Novak has become the 16th different player to finish as no.1 in the history of the ATP Rankings (since 1973).
  SOURCE: Novak Djokovic Official WebSite
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Novak voted the US Sports Academy’s September Athlete of the Month

   The no.1-ranked men's professional tennis player, Novak Djokovic, and the no.1-ranked women's professional golfer, Yani Tseng, were named the United States Sports Academy's September Athletes of the Month.
 
 Both Novak and Tseng are arguably the two most dominating athletes in their sports this year.
   Novak beat Spaniard Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1 to win his first US Open championship and third Grand Slam title in 2011. The 24-year-old Serbian star has a remarkable 64-3 record this season.
  SOURCE: Novak Djokovic Official WebSite
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ATP to honour Novak tonight on Centre Court in Montreal!

   The Association of Tennis Professionals will organise a special ceremony to honour Novak, the new world no. 1, on Monday, August 8, at 5:30 pm local time (11.30 pm CET) in Montreal, where the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament (hard, $2,430,000) is held from August 8 to 14.
 
 Novak took over the no. 1 position on the ATP Rankings on July 4, replacing Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who had held the top spot since June 7, 2010.
   Rogers Cup presented by National Bank Tournament Director Eugène Lapierre said he was thrilled that Novak would celebrate his world no. 1 ranking in Montreal.
 
" It is just the right fit as it was also here that he first showed his great talent to the entire world in 2007 when he took out the top three players in the world at the time, Andy Roddick, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to win the Rogers Cup. His astonishing results this year, with only a loss going into August, positions him among our sport's great champions. "
  SOURCE: Novak Djokovic Official WebSite
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Brilliant Novak and Viktor clinch Davis Cup for Serbia!

Serbia is the 2010 Davis Cup winner!!!
  In the first match of the day, Serbian no.1 Novak Djokovic brought the second point to Serbia with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory over world no.12 Gael Monfils to level the score against France in their final tie on indoor hard court in Belgrade.
The match lasted 2 hours and 14 minutes.
 
  Nole opened the match with a love service game. He made a break already in the fourth game and then consolidated the break for 4-1 lead. The world no.3 faced scare in the seventh game, but held to keep the advantage. He put the pressure on Monfils, earned two break/set points and capitalised on the second to take the set 6-2 in 35 minutes.
 
  Novak continued playing great in the second set, not giving his opponent any chance. The 23-year-old from Belgrade clinched a break of Monfils's serve in the sixth game as the Frenchman hit his backhand long. The Serbian no.1 won a long rally in the eighth game to set up three break/set points and converted the third for 6-2.
 
  Djokovic came back twice from a break down in the third set and eventually broke Monfils in the tenth game using second match point for 6-4.
 
  Match statistics: aces (3-6), double faults (0-3), winners (42-42), unforced errors (18-37), total points won (94-61).
 

 
“ It was an unbelievable emotion, under the circumstances with the huge pressure, I played an amazing match,” said Novak after the match. “Everything was working for me today. This next match is maybe the most important match in all our careers, so we hope we can win. ”
 
  Viktor Troicki thrilled 15000 fans in Belgrade Arena when he clinched the third point for Serbia for 3-2 win over France and the Davis Cup title for Serbia for the first time in its history!
The world no.30 beat Michael Llodra in deciding fifth rubber 6-2, 6-2, 6-3.
 
“ This was the greatest experience in my life,” said Troicki. “I still don't believe it. I mean, probably tomorrow or in the next few days I will start feeling the emotions of winning the Davis Cup. ”
 
“ Seriously, I think we all did a great job this year. I would like to thank everyone, the whole team. We truly believed that we could do it, even though we were 2‑1 down. No words can describe my feeling right now. ”
 
The Serbs celebrated by having their heads shaved. Viktor described the victory as " the most unbelievable moment of my life, " while Nole added: " It's historic. This is our biggest success as individuals, as a team, as a country. "
  SOURCE: Novak Djokovic Official WebSite
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