Old footage reemerges of Novak Djokovic’s Grand Slam debut at Australian Open
Novak Djokovic‘s life has been transformed since making his Grand Slam debut at the Australian Open – but he really hasn’t.
The Serb’s first major appearance came Down Under back in 2005 when he was a fresh-faced 17-year-old, albeit looking very similar to the present day and sporting the same haircut which he’s kept throughout his legendary tennis career.
Having beat Stan Wawrinka in qualifying, Djokovic faced former world No. 1 Marat Safin in the opening round. A far cry from the formidable force he’d go on to become, he was beat in straight sets 6-0, 6-2, 6-1.
READ MORE: Novak Djokovic’s dad poses with pro-Russia tennis fans with Putin flags and Z symbols
He went on to reach the third round of both Wimbledon and the US Open that year but had to wait to win his first Grand Slam title.
Djokovic ended Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s three-year dominance at the 2008 Aussie Open, claiming the first of his 21 major victories to date.
As has been common in recent times, his campaign at the Rod Laver Arena this year has been marred by controversy – but it’s not Djokovic who’s landed himself in hot water on this occasion.
Where does Djokovic rank amongst the tennis greats? Let us know in the comments section below
(Image: Getty Images)
His dad Srdan was caught posing for photos with pro-Vladimir Putin fans in the week, prompting a statement from Tennis Australia which read: “A small group of people displayed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guard following a match on Wednesday night and were evicted.
“Players and their teams have been briefed and reminded of the event policy regarding flags and symbols and to avoid any situation that has the potential to disrupt. We continue to work closely with event security and law enforcement agencies.”
READ NEXT: