In 2008, Novak Djokovic won the first Grand Slam tennis title in the history of Serbia or Yugoslavia before it, and when he kicked into high gear to blow Andy Murray away in the third and fourth sets this morning it made seven titles. While he may have trouble shift in to clay next week as part of the countries Davis Cup team, only Spain and Rafael Nadal can claim more major titles (11) during that time, and Djokovic is the clear No. 1.
Murray played Djokovic even through two sets after beating him in the previous Grand Slam final at the US Open despite only being able to put service aces past the best returner in the game nine times. In the second set, Murray almost broke through, registering five aces and winning 96 percent of his points when he put his first serve in play. However, Djokovic jumped all over Murray’s second serves, winning 62 percent of those points to finally pull out the tie-breaker to pull even at a set apiece.
From that point on there was no doubt, as the player known for his growing endurance over the years wore down Murray, who had to go five sets with Roger Federer in the semifinals, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-2.
On any surface but clay, Djokovic’s dominance has finally replaced the back-and-forth between Spain and Switzerland as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer took turns winning titles. There is a new sheriff in town, and he hails from Serbia.
| Year | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbleton | US Open | Davis Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Serbia (Novak Djokovic) | Spain (Rafael Nadal) | Spain (Rafael Nadal) | Switzerland (Roger Federer) | Spain |
| 2009 | Spain (Rafael Nadal) | Switzerland (Roger Federer) | Switzerland (Roger Federer) | Argentina (Juan Martín del Potro) | Spain |
| 2010 | Switzerland (Roger Federer) | Spain (Rafael Nadal) | Spain (Rafael Nadal) | Spain (Rafael Nadal) | Serbia |
| 2011 | Serbia (Novak Djokovic) | Spain (Rafael Nadal) | Serbia (Novak Djokovic) | Serbia (Novak Djokovic) | Spain |
| 2012 | Serbia (Novak Djokovic) | Spain (Rafael Nadal) | Switzerland (Roger Federer) | England (Andy Murray) | Czech Republic |
| 2013 | Serbia (Novak Djokovic) |
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