Nenad Zimonjić
Nenad Zimonjić is a Serbian professional tennis player who was ranked World No. 1 in 2008 in doubles. He is the second tennis doubles player from Serbia to hold the World No. 1, after Slobodan Živojinović. While Zimonjić is known as a doubles specialist, he has recorded two big wins in his singles career. A 22-year span consisting of 54 Davis Cup ties including 43 victories has resulted in him becoming the most accomplished Davis Cup player in his nations history. He has a very powerful first serve that he can hit at up to 235 km/h.
Career
Doubles
Zimonjić turned pro in 1995 and remained relatively unknown outside his native country until a surprise victory in the mixed doubles at the 2004 Australian Open. Paired for the first time with Russian Elena Bovina, he beat defending champions Martina Navratilova and Leander Paes in straight sets in an hour and nine minutes. Alongside Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia, he won the 2006 French Open crown with a straight-sets victory over Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva. At the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, Zimonjić reached the final of the men's doubles alongside France's Fabrice Santoro and the quarterfinals of the mixed doubles.In 2007, Zimonjić reached the 2007 French Open mixed doubles final as the defending champions with Katarina Srebotnik and lost to Nathalie Dechy and Andy Ram. He left Santoro after Wimbledon and teamed with Mahesh Bhupathi until after the 2007 US Open. After the US Open, Nenad left Bhupathi and partnered with Daniel Nestor, who won the French Open earlier in the year alongside Mark Knowles. The team won the 2007 St. Petersburg Open, without losing a set. Nestor and Zimonjić later won 2008 Wimbledon, 2009 Wimbledon and 2010 French Open.
In 2009, they defended their Wimbledon title & won 5 Masters 1000 titles. At the World Team Cup as a part of the Serbian team. With Victor Troicki, he won two decisive games against Italian and Argentinian teams; as a result, Serbia finished first in its group, and then proceeded to beat Germany in the final encounter.
In 2010, they finished runners-up at the Australian Open, later on in the year he won both the doubles with Daniel Nestor and the mixed doubles with Katarina Srebotnik at Roland Garros. Zimonjic ended his partnership with Nestor after winning the ATP World Tour Finals.
In 2011 he partnered with Michaël Llodra, together then won one Masters 1000 title & four ATP 500 titles. Their partnership ended in early 2012. In 2014, he & Nestor renewed their partnership which saw them both return to the top 10 by May & ranked 3 by the end of the year. In 2015 he teamed up with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi.
On 26 July 2017 the Serbian became the 10th player to record 700 doubles match wins.
Singles
In 2004, he defeated Andre Agassi in St Pölten, and in 2005 on the grass of Halle, he defeated Nicolas Kiefer. Other recognised opponents include Ivo Karlovic in 2000, Nicolas Mahut in 2001.Davis Cup
Zimonjić has been a member of Serbia Davis Cup team since 1995, playing both singles and doubles, and in 2003–2004 he was the playing captain of the national team. In recent years, with the emergence of highly ranked Serbian singles players Novak Djokovic, Janko Tipsarević, and Viktor Troicki, Zimonjić became a doubles specialist on the team, partnering all of them, as well as Dušan Vemić and Ilija Bozoljac.In 2010, Serbia won its first ever Davis Cup title, following the victories over United States, Croatia, Czech Republic, and France in the final match. Zimonjić played in all four doubles rubbers over the course of the competition, winning once and losing the other three times. To celebrate the win, all the players shaved their heads. The central celebration was held in Belgrade in front of several thousand fans, and the Serbian national postal service issued a stamp picturing the players.
In the 2013 quarterfinals against the United States, he and Ilija Bozoljac had an impressive five set victory against the no. 1 ranked Bryan brothers.
Personal life
Zimonjić was born in Belgrade, and was brought up in the Borča suburb, while he is currently living in New Belgrade. Zimonjić's paternal family hails from the Gacko region in Herzegovina, from where it settled in Vučkovica near Kragujevac, while his mother was born in Gospić, in Lika. The family's slava is Aranđelovdan. He is related to Bogdan Zimonjić, a Serbian Orthodox priest and guerilla leader.In 2008, he married former model Mina Knežević. On 4 December 2008 his wife gave birth to twins, Leon and Luna.
Significant finals
Grand Slam
Men's doubles: 7 (3–4)
Mixed doubles: 10 (5–5)
Year-End Championships
Doubles: 3 (2–1)
ATP career finals
Doubles: 91 (54 titles, 37 runner-ups)
Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
Loss | 0–1 | 1999 Sybase Open – Doubles| | Pacific Coast Championships, US | World Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 5–7, 7–6, 4–6 |
Win | 1–1 | 1999 Citrix Tennis Championships – Doubles| | Delray Beach Open, US | World Series | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–6, 3–6, 6–3 |
Win | 2–1 | 2000 Citrix Tennis Championships – Doubles| | Delray Beach Open, US | International | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–5, 6–4 |
Loss | 2–2 | 2000 BMW Open – Doubles| | Bavarian Championships, Germany | International | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 4–6, 4–6 |
Win | 3–2 | 2000 CA-TennisTrophy – Doubles| | Vienna Open, Austria | Intl. Gold | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–4, 6–4 |
Loss | 3–3 | 2001 Dubai Tennis Championships – Doubles| | Dubai Tennis Championships, UAE | Intl. Gold | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 4–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 3–4 | 2001 Estoril Open – Men's Doubles| | Estoril Open, Portugal | International | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 4–6, 1–6 |
Win | 4–4 | 2001 Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon – Doubles| | Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, France | International | Carpet | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–1, 6–2 |
Win | 5–4 | 2002 Kroger St. Jude International – Men's Doubles| | U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships, US | Intl. Gold | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–3, 3–6, |
Win | 6–4 | 2003 Delray Beach International Tennis Championships – Doubles| | Delray Beach Open, US | International | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–5, 3–6, 7–5 |
Loss | 6–5 | 2003 CAM Open Comunidad Valenciana – Doubles| | Valencia Open, Spain | International | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 1–6, 7–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 6–6 | 2003 International Raiffeisen Grand Prix – Doubles| | St. Pölten Grand Prix, Austria | International | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 4–6, 7–6, 3–6 |
Win | 7–6 | 2003 St. Petersburg Open – Doubles| | St. Petersburg Open, Russia | International | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–6, 6–3 |
Win | 8–6 | 2004 Monte Carlo Masters – Doubles| | Monte-Carlo Masters, Monaco | Masters | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–5, 6–2 |
Loss | 8–7 | 2004 BMW Open – Doubles| | Bavarian Championships, Germany | International | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 2–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 8–8 | 2004 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Doubles| | Wimbledon, UK | Grand Slam | Grass | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 1–6, 4–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
Win | 9–8 | 2005 Monte Carlo Masters – Doubles| | Monte-Carlo Masters, Monaco | Masters | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | Walkover |
Win | 10–8 | 2005 Torneo Godó – Doubles| | Barcelona Open, Spain | Intl. Gold | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–3, 6–3 |
Loss | 10–9 | 2005 If Stockholm Open – Doubles| | Stockholm Open, Sweden | International | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 3–6, 3–6 |
Loss | 10–10 | 2005 Mutua Madrileña Masters Madrid – Doubles| | Madrid Open, Spain | Masters | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–3, 3–6, 2–6 |
Loss | 10–11 | 2005 Tennis Masters Cup – Doubles| | Tennis Masters Cup, China | Masters Cup | Carpet | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–6, 3–6, 6–7 |
Win | 11–11 | 2006 Medibank International – Men's Doubles| | Sydney International, Australia | International | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–1, 6–4 |
Loss | 11–12 | 2006 Monte Carlo Masters – Doubles| | Monte-Carlo Masters, Monaco | Masters | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 2–6, 6–7 |
Win | 12–12 | 2006 Gerry Weber Open – Doubles| | Halle Open, Germany | International | Grass | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–0, 6–4 |
Loss | 12–13 | 2006 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Doubles| | Wimbledon, UK | Grand Slam | Grass | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 3–6, 6–4, 4–6, 2–6 |
Win | 13–13 | 2006 Kremlin Cup – Men's Doubles| | Kremlin Cup, Russia | International | Carpet | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–1, 7–5 |
Loss | 13–14 | 2006 BNP Paribas Masters – Doubles| | Paris Masters, France | Masters | Carpet | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–7, 2–6 |
Win | 14–14 | 2007 Qatar Open – Doubles| | Qatar Open, Qatar | International | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–1, 7–6 |
Win | 15–14 | 2007 Dubai Tennis Championships – Men's Doubles| | Dubai Tennis Championships, UAE | Intl. Gold | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–5, 6–7, |
Win | 16–14 | 2007 Internazionali BNL d'Italia – Men's Doubles| | Italian Open, Italy | Masters | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–4, 6–7, |
Loss | 16–15 | 2007 Gerry Weber Open – Doubles| | Halle Open, Germany | International | Grass | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 4–6, 6–7 |
Win | 17–15 | 2007 Pilot Pen Tennis – Men's Doubles| | Connecticut Open, US | International | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–3, 6–3 |
Win | 18–15 | 2007 St. Petersburg Open – Doubles| | St. Petersburg Open, Russia | International | Carpet | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–1, 7–6 |
Loss | 18–16 | 2007 BNP Paribas Masters – Doubles| | Paris Masters, France | Masters | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 3–6, 6–7 |
Loss | 18–17 | 2008 Pacific Life Open – Men's Doubles| | Indian Wells Masters, US | Masters | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 4–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 18–18 | 2008 Internazionali BNL d'Italia – Men's Doubles| | Italian Open, Italy | Masters | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–3, 4–6, |
Win | 19–18 | 2008 Masters Series Hamburg – Doubles| | Masters Series Hamburg, Germany | Masters | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–4, 5–7, |
Loss | 19–19 | 2008 French Open – Men's Doubles| | French Open, France | Grand Slam | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 2–6, 3–6 |
Win | 20–19 | 2008 Stella Artois Championships – Doubles| | Queen's Club Championships, UK | International | Grass | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–4, 7–6 |
Win | 21–19 | 2008 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Doubles| | Wimbledon, UK | Grand Slam | Grass | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–6, 6–7, 6–3, 6–3 |
Win | 22–19 | 2008 Rogers Masters – Doubles| | Canadian Open, Canada | Masters | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–2, 4–6, |
Win | 23–19 | 2008 Tennis Masters Cup – Doubles| | Tennis Masters Cup, China | Masters Cup | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–6, 6–2 |
Loss | 23–20 | 2009 Qatar Open – Doubles| | Qatar Open, Qatar | 250 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–4, 4–6, |
Loss | 23–21 | 2009 Medibank International Sydney – Men's Doubles| | Sydney International, Australia | 250 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 1–6, 6–7 |
Win | 24–21 | 2009 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament – Doubles| | Rotterdam Open, Netherlands | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–2, 7–5 |
Win | 25–21 | 2009 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters – Doubles| | Monte-Carlo Masters, Monaco | Masters 1000 | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–4, 6–1 |
Win | 26–21 | 2009 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell – Doubles| | Barcelona Open, Spain | 500 Series | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–3, 7–6 |
Win | 27–21 | 2009 Internazionali BNL d'Italia – Men's Doubles| | Italian Open, Italy | Masters 1000 | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–6, 6–3 |
Win | 28–21 | 2009 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open – Men's Doubles| | Madrid Open, Spain | Masters 1000 | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–4, 6–4 |
Win | 29–21 | 2009 Wimbledon Championships – Men's Doubles| | Wimbledon, UK | Grand Slam | Grass | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–6, 6–7, 7–6, 6–3 |
Win | 30–21 | 2009 Western & Southern Financial Group Masters – Doubles| | Cincinnati Masters, US | Masters 1000 | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 3–6, 7–6, |
Win | 31–21 | 2009 Davidoff Swiss Indoors – Doubles| | Swiss Indoors, Switzerland | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–2, 6–3 |
Win | 32–21 | 2009 BNP Paribas Masters – Doubles| | Paris Masters, France | Masters 1000 | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–3, 6–4 |
Win | 33–21 | 2010 Medibank International Sydney – Men's Doubles| | Sydney International, Australia | 250 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–3, 7–6 |
Loss | 33–22 | 2010 Australian Open – Men's Doubles| | Australian Open, Australia | Grand Slam | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 3–6, 7–6, 3–6 |
Win | 34–22 | 2010 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament – Doubles| | Rotterdam Open, Netherlands | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–4, 4–6, |
Loss | 34–23 | 2010 BNP Paribas Open – Men's Doubles| | Indian Wells Masters, US | Masters 1000 | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–7, 3–6 |
Win | 35–23 | 2010 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters – Doubles| | Monte-Carlo Masters, Monaco | Masters 1000 | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–3, 2–0 ret. |
Win | 36–23 | 2010 Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell – Doubles| | Barcelona Open, Spain | 500 Series | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 4–6, 6–3, |
Loss | 36–24 | 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open – Men's Doubles| | Madrid Open, Spain | Masters 1000 | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 3–6, 4–6 |
Win | 37–24 | 2010 French Open – Men's Doubles| | French Open, France | Grand Slam | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–5, 6–2 |
Win | 38–24 | 2010 Bank Austria-TennisTrophy – Doubles| | Vienna Open, Austria | 250 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–5, 3–6, |
Loss | 38–25 | 2010 Swiss Indoors – Doubles| | Swiss Indoors, Switzerland | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 3–6, 6–3, |
Win | 39–25 | 2010 ATP World Tour Finals – Doubles| | ATP World Tour Finals, UK | Tour Finals | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–6, 6–4 |
Loss | 39–26 | 2011 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament – Doubles| | Rotterdam Open, Netherlands | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 4–6, 6–3, |
Loss | 39–27 | 2011 Mutua Madrid Open – Men's Doubles| | Madrid Open, Spain | Masters 1000 | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 3–6, 3–6 |
Win | 40–27 | 2011 Legg Mason Tennis Classic – Doubles| | Washington Open, US | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–7, 7–6, |
Win | 41–27 | 2011 Rogers Cup – Men's Doubles| | Canadian Open, Canada | Masters 1000 | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–4, 6–7, |
Loss | 41–28 | 2011 Western & Southern Open – Men's Doubles| | Cincinnati Masters, US | Masters 1000 | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–7, 6–7 |
Win | 42–28 | 2011 China Open – Men's Doubles| | China Open, China | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–6, 7–6 |
Loss | 42–29 | 2011 Shanghai Rolex Masters – Doubles| | Shanghai Masters, China | Masters 1000 | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–3, 1–6, |
Win | 43–29 | 2011 Swiss Indoors – Doubles| | Swiss Indoors, Switzerland | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–4, 7–5 |
Win | 44–29 | 2012 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament – Doubles| | Rotterdam Open, Netherlands | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 4–6, 7–5, |
Win | 45–29 | 2012 St. Petersburg Open – Doubles| | St. Petersburg Open, Russia | 250 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–2, 4–6, |
Loss | 45–30 | 2012 If Stockholm Open – Doubles| | Stockholm Open, Sweden | 250 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–6, 5–7, |
Win | 46–30 | 2012 Swiss Indoors – Doubles| | Swiss Indoors, Switzerland | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–5, 6–7, |
Win | 47–30 | 2013 ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament – Doubles| | Rotterdam Open, Netherlands | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 5–7, 6–3, |
Loss | 47–31 | 2013 Dubai Tennis Championships – Men's Doubles| | Dubai Tennis Championships, UAE | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–7, 6–7 |
Win | 48–31 | 2013 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters – Doubles| | Monte-Carlo Masters, Monaco | Masters 1000 | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 4–6, 7–6, |
Win | 49–31 | 2011 Legg Mason Tennis Classic – Doubles| | Washington Open, US | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–6, 7–5 |
Win | 50–31 | 2014 Apia International Sydney – Men's Doubles| | Sydney International, Australia | 250 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–6, 7–6 |
Loss | 50–32 | 2014 Dubai Tennis Championships – Men's Doubles| | Dubai Tennis Championships, UAE | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 4–6, 3–6 |
Loss | 50–33 | 2014 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell – Doubles| | Barcelona Open, Spain | 500 Series | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 3–6, 3–6 |
Win | 51–33 | 2014 Mutua Madrid Open – Men's Doubles| | Madrid Open, Spain | Masters 1000 | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–4, 6–2 |
Win | 52–33 | 2014 Internazionali BNL d'Italia – Men's Doubles| | Italian Open, Italy | Masters 1000 | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–4, 7–6 |
Win | 53–33 | 2014 Swiss Indoors – Doubles| | Swiss Indoors, Switzerland | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 7–6, 1–6, |
Loss | 53–34 | 2015 Dubai Tennis Championships – Men's Doubles| | Dubai Tennis Championships, UAE | 500 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 4–6, 1–6 |
Loss | 53–35 | 2015 Mutua Madrid Open – Men's Doubles| | Madrid Open, Spain | Masters 1000 | Clay | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 2–6, 7–6, |
Loss | 53–36 | 2015 Aegon Championships – Doubles| | Queen's Club Championships, UK | 500 Series | Grass | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 2–6, 2–6 |
Loss | 53–37 | 2015 Western & Southern Open – Men's Doubles| | Cincinnati Masters, US | Masters 1000 | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 2–6, 2–6 |
Win | 54–37 | 2017 Garanti Koza Sofia Open – Doubles| | Sofia Open, Bulgaria | 250 Series | Hard | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | 6–4, 6–4 |
Team competition finals: 4 (3–1)
Performance timelines
Singles
Doubles
Current through the 2020 Rotterdam Open.Mixed doubles
Awards
;1994- Best Male Tennis Player in FR Yugoslavia
- Best Male Tennis Player in FR Yugoslavia
- Best Male Tennis Player in FR Yugoslavia
- Best Male Tennis Player in FR Yugoslavia
- Serbian Sport Association "May Award"
- Year-end No. 1
- ATP Doubles Team of the Year
- ITF Men's doubles World Champion
- Recognition for 50 matches played for Serbia Davis Cup team
- Award Pride of the Nation by Serbia Tennis Federation
- Davis Cup Commitment Award
- Davis Cup Award of Excellence
Records