Dušan Lajović
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Dušan Lajović ( sr-Cyrl, Душан Лајовић; born 30 June 1990) is a
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
n professional
tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
player. On 29 April 2019, he reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 23. On 21 September 2020, he peaked at No. 82 in the doubles rankings. Lajović has won two singles and two doubles titles on the
ATP Tour The ATP Tour (known as ATP World Tour between January 2009 and December 2018) is the sole worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) founded in 1990 that replaced the earlier dual Grand Prix ...
. He won his first singles tournament at the
2019 Croatia Open The 2019 Croatia Open (also known as the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag for sponsorship reasons) was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 30th edition of the Croatia Open, and part of the 250 Series of the 2019 ...
and reached his first
Masters 1000 The ATP 1000 events, also known as ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, are an annual series of nine tennis tournaments featuring the top-ranked players on the ATP Tour since its inception in 1990. The ATP 1000 tournaments, sitting below the Grand ...
final at the
2019 Monte-Carlo Masters The 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters (also known as the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters for sponsorship reasons) was a tennis tournament for male professional players played on outdoor clay courts. It was the 113th edition of the annual Monte Carlo Masters to ...
. He is best known for his clay court game, kick serve and strong flowing groundstrokes, especially his
one-handed backhand The backhand is a shot used in most racket sports, such as tennis, table tennis and pickleball, where the back of the hand precedes the palm when swinging the racket. Except in the phrase ''backhand volley'', the term refers to a groundstr ...
. Lajović regularly represents Serbia in team competitions, after playing in the now defunct
World Team Cup The World Team Cup was the international men's team championship of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). The inaugural edition of the tournament was contested in 1975 in Kingston, Jamaica and was called the Nations Cup. No tourname ...
in 2010 and 2011. He is a member of the Serbian
Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is organised by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and contested annually between teams from over 150 competing countries, making it the world's largest annual ...
team since 2012 and contributed greatly to Serbia winning the inaugural ATP Cup in 2020, as he won four of his six matches. He also qualified for the
2024 Paris Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...
.


Career


2007–2011

For a long time, Lajović primarily played on the Futures circuit and the Challenger circuit. In 2011 he qualified for the
Kremlin Cup The Kremlin Cup () is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts, which was suspended in 2022. It was part of the ATP Tour 250 series of the ATP Tour and was a Premier Tournament on the WTA Tour. It was held annually at the ...
, and lost in the first round of the main draw. In the 2011 St. Petersburg Open, he reached the quarterfinals for the first time in his career.


2012: Davis Cup debut

In 2012, he began working with a new coach, Boris Bošnjaković, played in the Davis Cup for the first time, reached the finals of 2012 Orbetello Challenger and won the 2012 Samarkand Challenger.


2013: Davis Cup finalist

Replacing an injured
Janko Tipsarević Janko Tipsarević ( sr-Cyrl, Јанко Типсаревић, ; born 22 June 1984) is a Serbian tennis coach and former professional player. He is also a politician, serving as a member of the City Assembly of Belgrade since 21 June 2024. He is ...
, he played two live rubbers in the
2013 Davis Cup The 2013 Davis Cup (also known as the 2013 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas for sponsorship purposes) was the 102nd edition of the tournament between national teams in men's tennis. Czech Republic successfully held their place as Davis Cup champions, by d ...
final, including the deciding rubber against
Radek Štěpánek Radek Štěpánek (; born 27 November 1978) is a Czech former professional tennis player. His career-high singles ranking was world No. 8 and best doubles ranking was world No. 4. Štěpánek's biggest achievements are reaching two Masters 1000 ...
of the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
. He was defeated comfortably in both but was praised by teammate
Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, separator=" / ", ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Weeks at N ...
for how he coped with the big occasion.


2014: Major debut at Australian Open, French Open fourth round

His first appearance in the main draw of a grand slam was at
Australian Open The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...
and he reached second round where he lost to
Kei Nishikori is a Japanese professional tennis player. He is the only Japanese man in the Open Era to have been ranked in the top five in singles, reaching his career-high ranking of world No. 4 in March 2015, and the second man in history to do so after ...
. He bettered this at the
French Open The French Open (), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a tennis tournament organized by the French Tennis Federation annually at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. It is chronologically the second of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam ...
by reaching the fourth round where he was beaten in straight sets by then-world number one and eventual champion
Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal Parera (born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for ...
.


2015: First ATP doubles title & second Davis Cup quarterfinal

Partnered with Radu Albot, they won the Istanbul doubles title, marking the first ATP doubles title for the Serb. At the French Open he lost to eventual champion
Stan Wawrinka Stanislas "Stan" Wawrinka (; born 28 March 1985) is a Swiss professional tennis player. He has been ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), first achieved on 27 January 2014. Wawrinka has won 16 ATP T ...
in the second round in four sets.


2016: Third Davis Cup quarterfinal

At the Argentina Open, Lajović reached quarterfinals defeating world No. 12
John Isner John Robert Isner (born April 26, 1985) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as high as world No. 8 in singles and No. 14 in doubles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Considered one of the best servers ...
en route. He reached the semifinals of the Brasil Open after beating top seed and world No. 20
Benoît Paire Benoît "Ben" Paire (; born 8 May 1989) is a French professional tennis player. His best result in a Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam has been reaching the fourth round, which he has achieved on four occasions. He has won three singles titles, ...
in the second round, that was his first tour-level semifinal appearance after losing all eight prior quarterfinals matches before in his career. This was followed by semifinal appearances at the 2016 Generali Open in Kitzbühel and the 2016 Los Cabos Open.


2017: Masters fourth round & Davis Cup semifinal

In Indian Wells, the Serbian defeated five opponents to reach the fourth round eventually losing to
Pablo Carreño Busta Pablo Carreño Busta (; born 12 July 1991) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 10 by the ATP, which he first achieved on 11 September 2017. He also reached a best doubles ranking of No. 16 on 17 July ...
. His contributions in successful Davis Cup ties against Russia & Spain, resulted in Serbia making the semifinal where he defeated Lucas Pouille but lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.


2018: Masters quarterfinal

At the Australian Open Lajović lost in five sets to US Open quarterfinalist
Diego Schwartzman Diego Sebastián Schwartzman (, ; born 16 August 1992) is an Argentine former professional tennis player. He won four ATP Tour singles titles and reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 8 in October 2020. As a clay court specialist ...
in his opening match. His next match was a five set loss to Miami Masters champion
John Isner John Robert Isner (born April 26, 1985) is an American former professional tennis player. He was ranked as high as world No. 8 in singles and No. 14 in doubles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Considered one of the best servers ...
in a Davis Cup tie. A temporary return to the Challenger Tour resulted in winning the Open Region Guadeloupe. After qualifying for the Monte-Carlo Masters, he faced 12 time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, losing in straight sets. At the Madrid Masters, he defeated former top ten player
Richard Gasquet Richard Gabriel Cyr Gasquet (; born 18 June 1986) is a French former professional tennis player. He was ranked as high as world No. 7 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP, attained in July 2007. Gasquet won 16 singles ...
in the second round, followed by a victory over world No. 6
Juan Martín del Potro Juan Martín del Potro (; born 23 September 1988) is an Argentine former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), in August 2018. Del Potro won 22 ATP Tour-level sing ...
, before falling to world No. 8 Kevin Anderson in the quarterfinals. This clay-court season was topped off with a semifinal appearance at the
Lyon Open Lyon Open may refer to: *ATP Lyon Open, a men's professional tennis tournament *WTA Lyon Open, a women's professional tennis tournament {{disambiguation ...
and a five-set loss at the French Open to world No. 3
Alexander Zverev Alexander "Sascha" Zverev (; born 20 April 1997) is a German professional tennis player and the current world No. 3. He has won 24 ATP Tour titles in singles and two in doubles, and has been runner-up at three Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, ma ...
. Lajović's first-round match at Wimbledon was against defending champion & world No. 2
Roger Federer Roger Federer ( , ; born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 3 ...
, he would lose in three quick sets. At the China Open he was able to secure his second victory over a top 10 player, defeating world No. 7
Grigor Dimitrov Grigor Dimitrov Dimitrov (, ; born 16 May 1991) is a Bulgarian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 3 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP, making him the highest-ranked Bulgari ...
. On 15 October, Lajović reached the top 50 ranking for the first time in his career.


2019: Top 25 debut, Masters final, Maiden title

In January 2019, Lajović scored his 100th career victory and reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 45. Lajović secured his third top-ten victory in
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
defeating world No. 6
Kei Nishikori is a Japanese professional tennis player. He is the only Japanese man in the Open Era to have been ranked in the top five in singles, reaching his career-high ranking of world No. 4 in March 2015, and the second man in history to do so after ...
. At the
Monte-Carlo Masters The Monte-Carlo Masters (also known as the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters for sponsorship reasons) is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, which borders on Monaco. It is played on clay cour ...
, he reached his maiden
ATP Tour The ATP Tour (known as ATP World Tour between January 2009 and December 2018) is the sole worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) founded in 1990 that replaced the earlier dual Grand Prix ...
final without dropping a set. En route to the final, Lajović defeated former top 10 player
David Goffin David Goffin (; born 7 December 1990) is a Belgian professional tennis player. He reached a career-high singles ATP rankings, ranking of world No. 7, making him the highest ranked male player from Belgium in tennis history. He is also the first ...
, reigning French Open finalist, world No. 5
Dominic Thiem Dominic Thiem (; born 3 September 1993) is an Austrian former professional tennis player. He was ranked world No. 3 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he first achieved in March 2020. Thiem won 17 ATP Tour-level s ...
, and world No. 14
Daniil Medvedev Daniil Sergeyevich Medvedev ( rus, Даниил Сергеевич Медведев, p=dənʲɪˈil sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 11 February 1996) is a Russian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ...
. His run ended in the final against
Fabio Fognini Fabio Fognini (; born 24 May 1987) is an Italian professional tennis player. He has a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP ranking of world No. 9 achieved on 15 July 2019. Fognini's most successful surface is Clay court#Red clay, ...
in straight sets. Lajović climbed to a new career-high ranking of No. 24 at the conclusion of the tournament. Lajović won his first ATP Tour singles title at the Croatian Open in
Umag Umag (; ; ) is a coastal town in Istria, Croatia. Its patron saint is Peregrine (martyr), St. Peregrine. Geography It is the westernmost town of Croatia, and it includes Bašanija, the westernmost point of Croatia. Demographics According to the ...
, defeating Hungarian
Attila Balázs Attila Balázs (; born September 27, 1988) is a Hungarian former professional tennis player. He has a career-high singles ATP ranking of No. 76 achieved on 2 March 2020. He is a seven time Hungarian National Tennis Champion; after Béla von K ...
in straight sets in the final.


2020: ATP Cup champion

At the inaugural ATP Cup, Lajović assisted Serbia in making history as the first nation to win Davis, World Team and ATP Cups, winning four of six matches. At the
Australian Open The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...
he defeated 2018 semifinalist
Kyle Edmund Kyle Steven Edmund (born 8 January 1995) is a British professional tennis player. He has a career-high singles ATP rankings, ranking of world No. 14 and was the top-ranked male British tennis player from March 2018 to October 2019. Edmund is an ...
in straight sets before losing to world no. 14
Diego Schwartzman Diego Sebastián Schwartzman (, ; born 16 August 1992) is an Argentine former professional tennis player. He won four ATP Tour singles titles and reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 8 in October 2020. As a clay court specialist ...
in the third round.


2021: Australian Open fourth round

Lajović started his 2021 season representing Serbia at the ATP Cup. He lost to
Milos Raonic Milos Raonic ( sr-Cyrl, Милош Раонић, Miloš Raonić, ; born December 27, 1990) is a Canadian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked world No. 3 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP ...
of Canada and
Jan-Lennard Struff Jan-Lennard Struff (; born 25 April 1990) is a German professional tennis player. He reached his career-high Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP singles and doubles rankings of world No. 21 on 19 June 2023 and on 22 October 2018 respectively. ...
of Germany. Despite winning last year, Serbia failed to defend the title. Seeded 23rd at the
Australian Open The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...
, he reached the fourth round of a Grand Slam for a second time in his career. He ended up getting defeated by 6th seed
Alexander Zverev Alexander "Sascha" Zverev (; born 20 April 1997) is a German professional tennis player and the current world No. 3. He has won 24 ATP Tour titles in singles and two in doubles, and has been runner-up at three Grand Slam (tennis)#Tournaments, ma ...
. Seeded third at the
Open Sud de France The Open Occitanie (formerly known as the Open Sud de France and Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon) is a professional tennis tournament played on Tennis court#Indoor courts, indoor hardcourts. It is currently part of the ATP Tour 250 series of the ATP ...
in Montpellier, Lajović was eliminated in the second round by Dennis Novak. At the
Rotterdam Open The Rotterdam Open, also known as the ABN AMRO Open for sponsorship reasons, is a professional men's tennis tournament played on Tennis court#Indoor courts, indoor hard courts. It is part of the ATP Tour 500 series on the ATP Tour and has been held ...
, he stunned World No. 3 and top seed,
Daniil Medvedev Daniil Sergeyevich Medvedev ( rus, Даниил Сергеевич Медведев, p=dənʲɪˈil sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 11 February 1996) is a Russian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ...
, in the first round. With this win, Lajović was able to stop Medvedev from reaching number two in the ATP rankings. He was beaten in the second round by
Borna Ćorić Borna Ćorić (; born 14 November 1996) is a Croatian professional tennis player. On 5 November 2018, he reached his best singles ranking of world No. 12. In 2022, Ćorić became the lowest-ranked champion in ATP Tour Masters 1000, Masters 1000 h ...
.


2022: Third consecutive ATP Cup, Out of top 100

Lajović started his 2022 season by representing Serbia at the ATP Cup as the No. 1 player after the withdrawal of
Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, separator=" / ", ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Weeks at N ...
. Serbia was in Group A alongside Norway, Chile, and Spain. He ended up losing to
Casper Ruud Casper Ruud (; born 22 December 1998) is a Norwegian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 2 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), achieved in September 2022, making him t ...
,
Cristian Garín Cristian Ignacio Garín Medone (; born 30 May 1996) is a Chilean professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 17 by the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP in singles, achieved on 13 September 2021. He ...
via retirement, and
Roberto Bautista Agut Roberto Bautista Agut (; born 14 April 1988) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 9 by the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP in singles, achieved on 4 November 2019. Bautista Agut ...
. Serbia ended up third in Group A. Seeded sixth at the Sydney Classic, he was defeated in the second round by American Maxime Cressy. At the
Australian Open The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...
, he was eliminated in the second round by world No. 31
Carlos Alcaraz Carlos Alcaraz Garfia (; born 5 May 2003) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), inc ...
. Seeded fifth at the Argentina Open, Lajović was beaten in the second round by Argentinian
Federico Coria Federico Coria (born 9 March 1992) is an Argentine professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 49, achieved on 13 February 2023 and a doubles ranking of No. 238, achieved on 22 November 2021. Coria has won ...
. In Rio, he lost in the first round to
Fernando Verdasco Fernando Verdasco Carmona (; born 15 November 1983) is a Spaniards, Spanish tennis coach and a former professional player. He was ranked world No. 7 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP, achieved in April 2009, and w ...
. At the Mexican Open, he was defeated in the second round by Tommy Paul. Playing at the Indian Wells Masters, he lost in the first round to
Filip Krajinović Filip Krajinović (, ; born 27 February 1992) is a Serbian former professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 26 on 23 April 2018.
. In
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
, he lost in the first round to Juan Manuel Cerúndolo. Lajović kicked off his clay-court season at the
Monte-Carlo Masters The Monte-Carlo Masters (also known as the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters for sponsorship reasons) is an annual tennis tournament for male professional players held in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, which borders on Monaco. It is played on clay cour ...
. He lost his second-round match to
Grigor Dimitrov Grigor Dimitrov Dimitrov (, ; born 16 May 1991) is a Bulgarian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 3 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP, making him the highest-ranked Bulgari ...
. Competing at the
Serbia Open The Serbia Open () was a professional tennis tournament, part of the ATP World Tour 250 series, ATP 250 series and the ATP Tour. Held in Belgrade, Serbia and played on outdoor clay courts, the event was held for the first time in 2009 ATP World T ...
in his country, he was defeated in the first round by qualifier
Taro Daniel is an American-Japanese professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 58 on 15 January 2024. He has won one ATP Tour singles title at the 2018 Istanbul Open, as well as nine ATP Challenger Tour singles ti ...
. At the Estoril Open, he lost in the first round to fifth seed and eventual finalist,
Frances Tiafoe Frances Tiafoe Jr. ( ; born January 20, 1998) is an American professional tennis player. He reached his career high at world No. 10 in singles on June 19, 2023, becoming the first Sierra Leonean American man to be ranked in the top 10 by the ...
. In May, Lajović played at the Madrid Open. He stunned World No. 7 and fifth seed, Casper Ruud, in the second round. He fell in the third round to World No. 14 and twelfth seed,
Hubert Hurkacz Hubert Hurkacz (; born 11 February 1997) is a Polish professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 6 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP, making him the highest-ranked Polish man in singl ...
. Getting past qualifying at the Italian Open, he lost in the first round to
Alex de Minaur Alex de Minaur Román (born 17 February 1999) is an Australian professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP singles ranking of No. 6 on 15 July 2024 and a doubles ranking of No. 58 on 12 October ...
. Ranked No. 64 at the
French Open The French Open (), also known as Roland-Garros (), is a tennis tournament organized by the French Tennis Federation annually at Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France. It is chronologically the second of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam ...
, he was defeated in the first round by
Sebastián Báez Sebastián Báez (; born 28 December 2000) is an Argentine professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 18, achieved on 24 June 2024 and a doubles ranking of world No. 189, achieved on 29 July 2024. Báez ha ...
. Seeded second at the Emilia-Romagna Open, an ATP Challenger event in Italy, Lajović reached the semifinals where he lost to
Borna Ćorić Borna Ćorić (; born 14 November 1996) is a Croatian professional tennis player. On 5 November 2018, he reached his best singles ranking of world No. 12. In 2022, Ćorić became the lowest-ranked champion in ATP Tour Masters 1000, Masters 1000 h ...
. Lajović played only one tournament to prepare for Wimbledon. At the Mallorca Championships, he was ousted from the tournament in the first round by
Daniel Altmaier Daniel Altmaier (; born 12 September 1998) is a German professional tennis player. He has a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 47, achieved on 2 October 2023. He is the current German No. 2. Personal life Altmaier's father Jurij is Ukr ...
. Ranked also No. 64 at
Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...
, he lost in the second round to
Alexander Bublik Alexander Stanislavovich Bublik (; born 17 June 1997) is a Russian-born Kazakhstani professional tennis player. He has a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP singles ranking of world No. 17, achieved on 6 May 2024 and a doubles ...
. Seeded second at the Salzburg Open, an ATP Challenger event in Austria, Lajović made it to the quarterfinals where he lost to sixth seed and eventual champion, Thiago Monteiro. He left the top 100 at No. 102 on 21 November 2022, his lowest year-end ranking in 10 years. In December he won the 2022 Maia Challenger, his seventh at this level. He finished the year ranked No. 80 on 5 December 2023.


2023: Win over world No. 1 and second title, back to top 50, 100th clay win

In January, Lajovic lost in three tight sets in the qualifying of ASB Classic to Christopher Eubanks. At the
Australian Open The Australian Open (stylized ΛO) is a tennis tournament organised by Tennis Australia annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is chronologically the first of the four Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Sl ...
, he lost in the first round in four sets against 20th seed
Denis Shapovalov Denis Viktorovich Shapovalov (born ) is a Canadian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 10 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP, which he first achieved on September 21, 2020. Sh ...
. In February, during the Golden Swing in South America, he reached as a qualifier the quarterfinals of the Argentina Open after defeating reigning Córdoba Open champion
Sebastián Báez Sebastián Báez (; born 28 December 2000) is an Argentine professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 18, achieved on 24 June 2024 and a doubles ranking of world No. 189, achieved on 29 July 2024. Báez ha ...
in the first round. In the second round, he defeated Camilo Ugo Carabelli in straight sets to reach his first quarterfinal of the season. In the quarterfinals, he was defeated by the top seed,
Carlos Alcaraz Carlos Alcaraz Garfia (; born 5 May 2003) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), inc ...
. At the
Rio Open The Rio Open, also known as the ''Rio Open presented by Claro'' for sponsorship reasons, is a tennis event on the ATP Tour and former WTA International Tournaments event. The tournament is played on outdoor clay courts at the Jockey Club Brasile ...
, Lajovic reached his second quarterfinal after defeating fifth seed
Diego Schwartzman Diego Sebastián Schwartzman (, ; born 16 August 1992) is an Argentine former professional tennis player. He won four ATP Tour singles titles and reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 8 in October 2020. As a clay court specialist ...
in the first round and compatriot Laslo Djere in the second, both in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, he was defeated again by the top seed Carlos Alcaraz. For the second time, he reached back-to-back quarterfinals at the Chile Open by defeating again Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the first round and Juan Manuel Cerúndolo in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, he lost to Tomás Martín Etcheverry. At the 2023 Miami Open he won his first hard court match of the season against
Andy Murray Sir Andrew Barron Murray (born 15 May 1987) is a British former professional tennis player and coach. He was ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professio ...
. Next he defeated 30th seed Maxime Cressy to reach the third round, where he lost to
Carlos Alcaraz Carlos Alcaraz Garfia (; born 5 May 2003) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players, world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), inc ...
in straight sets. In April, he won his second career ATP title in
Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...
. In the first round he defeated compatriot
Filip Krajinović Filip Krajinović (, ; born 27 February 1992) is a Serbian former professional tennis player. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 26 on 23 April 2018.
in three tight sets and in the second, eight seed
Grégoire Barrère Grégoire Barrère (; born 16 February 1994) is a French former professional tennis player. He has a career high ATP singles ranking of No. 49, which was achieved on 3 July 2023. He also has a career-high ATP doubles ranking of No. 161 achieved ...
in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, he defeated top seed and world No. 1
Novak Djokovic Novak Djokovic ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Новак Ђоковић, Novak Đoković, separator=" / ", ; born 22 May 1987) is a Serbian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the List of ATP number 1 ranked singles tennis players#Weeks at N ...
in straight sets for the biggest win of his career. In the semifinals, he won over fourth seed and compatriot
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in three sets, after three hours of play. In the final, he defeated defending champion and second seed
Andrey Rublev Andrey Andreyevich Rublev (; born 20 October 1997) is a Russian professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 5 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he first achieved in September 2021 ...
and returned to the top-40 in rankings. At the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open he recorded his 100th clay match win defeating Jason Kubler in the first round becoming only the second Serbian in the
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after Djokovic to reach this milestone. In the second round Lajović scored his third Top 10 win in the space of nine days by taking out seventh seed
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. In September, during the Davis Cup Finals in
Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...
, Lajovic, playing singles, won in straight sets against Hong Seong-chan from
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and gave the all important first point to his Serbian Davis Cup team. In October, Lajovic advanced to the third round of the Shanghai Masters, after beating
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in the first round and Tallon Griekspoor in the second, both matches winning in straight sets. In the third round, he lost to Hungarian Fábián Marozsán. in the same month, he also made the second round at the next Masters in
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as a lucky loser, defeating wildcard
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.


2024: Two Golden swing quarterfinals, Olympics debut

At the 2024 Argentina Open he reached back-to-back quarterfinals at this tournament defeating eight seed Arthur Fils and
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before losing to eventual champion, wildcard Facundo Díaz Acosta. At the 2024 Rio Open he reached back-to-back quarterfinals in two consecutive weeks. He reached his second career semifinal above the ATP 250 level, at the 2024 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell with wins over qualifier
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, sixth seed
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, 11th seed
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and 16th seed Arthur Fils. He qualified for the
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.


Playing style

Lajović plays his best games on clay courts, with a strong baseline game capable of creating decent pace on both wings. He can create heavy kick on his serve, especially effective on clay.


Personal life

Lajović was born 30 June 1990 in
Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
,
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
to parents Marina and Dragiša Lajović. He started playing tennis when he was seven years old in T.K. Stara Pazova and later continued in T.K. Partizan Belgrade. He is in a long-term relationship with Serbian medical doctor Lidija Mikic. He lives in Stara Pazova,
Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
where he used to own a coffee shop.


Performance timelines


Singles

''Current through the 2024 Cincinnati Open.''


Doubles


Significant finals


Masters 1000 tournaments


Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)


ATP Tour finals


Singles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)


Doubles: 3 (2 titles, 1 runner-up)


Team competition


Finals: 2 (1 title, 1 runner–up)


ATP Challenger and ITF Futures finals


Singles: 17 (12 titles, 5 runner–ups)


Doubles: 6 (4 titles, 2 runner–ups)


Top 10 wins

*He has a record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10. :''* ''


Exhibitions matches


Singles


See also

* Serbia Davis Cup team * List of Serbia Davis Cup team representatives * Sport in Serbia


Notes


References


External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lajovic, Dusan 1990 births Living people Serbian male tennis players Tennis players from Belgrade Tennis players at the 2024 Summer Olympics 21st-century Serbian sportsmen Olympic tennis players for Serbia