Nikola Milojević (tennis) explained

Nikola Milojević
Residence:Belgrade, Serbia
Birth Date:1995 6, df=y
Birth Place:Belgrade, Serbia, FR Yugoslavia
Height:1.88m (06.17feet)
Turnedpro:2013
Plays:Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach:Marcos Roy
Careerprizemoney:US$1,047,468
Singlestitles:0
Highestsinglesranking:No. 125 (21 February 2022)
Currentsinglesranking:No. 859 (15 January 2024)
Australianopenresult:1R (2022)
Frenchopenresult:2R (2020)
Wimbledonresult:Q3 (2021)
Usopenresult:Q3 (2018)
Doublestitles:0
Highestdoublesranking:No. 252 (18 February 2019)
Team:yes
Daviscupresult:1–2
Updated:15 January 2024

Nikola Milojević (Serbian: Никола Милојевић, pronounced as /nǐkola mǐlojeʋitɕ/; born 19 June 1995) is a Serbian professional tennis player.Milojević has a career high ATP singles ranking of No. 125, which he achieved on 21 February 2022. He also achieved a career high ATP doubles ranking of No. 252 on 18 February 2019. He reached his highest ranking of no. 1 in ITF Junior rankings on 7 January 2013.[1]

Career

Junior career (2008–13)

As a junior, Milojević was a prodigious player who won several youth tournaments. He won his first title, the U14 Jug Open, on 25 May 2008, when he was still one month short of his 13th birthday.[2] [3] Between July and November 2008, Milojević reached five U14 finals in a row, winning three and losing two.[2]

In 2009, Milojević dominated the U14 circuit in the Tennis Europe Junior Tour, starting off the season by winning a national title at the indoor championship held in Novi Sad, which was followed by a Category 1 title in Bolton.[2] [4] He then collected two of the most prestigious trophies of the year at Petits As and the European Junior Championships at Pilsen,[4] beating Borna Ćorić and Kyle Edmund, respectively, in the finals.[5] [6] [7] He also won titles in Maia (Portugal) and Livorno (Italy).[2] [4] He remained undefeated in his age group (Under 14), both on the domestic and world stage, until six months after his debut in the U14 circuit.[4]

Before he turned 14, Milojević started competing in the ITF Junior Circuit in the under-18 category. In his first three tournaments, he reached the quarterfinals in all of them, including a semifinal in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November 2009.[2] [4]

In 2012, Milojević won five ITF titles across all four surfaces, winning in Malaysia and Manila on hardcourts, in Halle on grass, Nagoya on carpet, and in Mexico City on clay.[2] He then kickstarted 2013 by winning the Copa del Cafe in Costa Rica, beating Tommy Mylnikov in the final. This triumph allowed him to become the world's No. 1 in the ITF Junior rankings, thus becoming the first Serbian to reach such a feat since Janko Tipsarević.[1]

2014: ATP debut

Milojević was a fifth player on a Serbian Davis Cup team in the first round tie against United States in the 2010 Davis Cup[8] as well as a first round tie against Switzerland in 2014[9] [10] and didn't play in any match.

Milojević made his ATP main draw debut as a wildcard at 2014 Düsseldorf Open, where he defeated Mirza Bašić in the first round before losing to eventual finalist, Ivo Karlović, in the second round.

2017: Three Challengers finals, Top 150 debut

He was also invited for a semifinal clash against France in 2017, but instead chose to play in a Challenger tournament in order to improve his ATP ranking.[11] He reached the top 150 on 2 October 2017.

2018–19: Davis Cup debut, First & Second Challenger titles

In February 2018, he finally made his Davis Cup debut, partnered with another debutant, Miljan Zekić, in a doubles match against the US, losing 7–6(3), 2–6, 5–7, 4–6 in the first round.

In June 2018, Milojević won his first Challenger title in Fergana, Uzbekistan.

Milojević partnered with Danilo Petrović for the 2018 Davis Cup World Group play-offs vs. India in September. They defeated Rohan Bopanna/Saketh Myneni in straight sets to help secure Serbia a decisive 3–0 lead after second day's play. (Serbia eventually won the tie 4–0)

In August 2019, he won his third Challenger title at the 2019 Svijany Open in Liberec, Czechia.

2020–21: ATP Cup champion & Major debut & first win, Challenger Third title & two finals

In January 2020, he was part of Serbian team that won the Inaugural ATP Cup by defeating Spain in the final.

In September 2020, Milojević reached the second round on his debut as a qualifier in a Grand Slam main draw at the 2020 French Open, where he won his first match against fellow Serbian Filip Krajinović in four sets 6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 6–1.[12]

After winning his third Challenger title at the 2021 Zadar Open in Croatia by defeating Bulgarian Dimitar Kuzmanov, Milojević reached his best career-high ranking of No. 129 on 5 April 2021.

2022: Australian Open debut, ATP quarterfinal and Top 125 debut

In January, Milojević qualified into the main draw of the 2022 Australian Open for the first time at this Major, but lost to Mackenzie McDonald in the opening round. After the Australian tour, he reached the quarterfinals as a lucky loser at the Córdoba Open where he lost to Juan Ignacio Londero. As a result, he reached the top 125 on 21 February 2022.

Singles performance timeline

Current through the 2023 French Open.

Tournament201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024SRW–LWin%
Grand Slam tournaments
bgcolor=efefef align=leftAustralian OpenAAAAQ1Q1Q1Q3Q21RQ1A0 / 10–10%
bgcolor=efefef align=leftFrench OpenAAAQ1AQ1Q22RQ2Q1A0 / 11–1
bgcolor=efefef align=leftWimbledonAAAAQ2Q1Q1style=color:#767676NHQ3Q1A0 / 00–00%
bgcolor=efefef align=leftUS OpenAAAQ1Q1Q3Q2AQ1Q1A0 / 00–00%
style=text-align:leftWin–loss0–00–00–00–00–00–00–01–10–00–10–00–00 / 21–2
Career statistics
Tournaments010000122200Career total: 8
style=text-align:leftOverall win–loss0–01–10–00–00–00–01–12–21–21–20–00–00 / 86–8
style=text-align:leftWin %Career total:
Year-end ranking703385240238158174155138136259797$1,047,468

Challenger and Futures finals

Singles: 33 (15 titles, 18 runner–ups)

Legend (singles)
ATP Challenger Tour (3–8)
ITF Futures Tour (12–10)
Titles by surface
Hard (12–11)
Clay (3–7)
Grass (0–0)
Carpet (0–0)
Titles by setting
Outdoor (13–16)
Indoor (2–0)
ResultW–LDateTournamentTierSurfaceOpponentScore
Win1–0Greece F12, MarathonFuturesHard Louk Sorensenw/o
Win2–0Kazakhstan F3, AktobeFuturesHard (i) Ilya Lebedev7–6(7–5), 6–3
Loss2–1Turkey F19, BodrumFuturesClay Jared Donaldson3–6, 4–6
Loss2–2China F9, ZhangjiagangFuturesHard Li Zhe2–6, 2–6
Win3–2Turkey F27, AnkaraFuturesClay Gavin van Peperzeel7–5, 7–5
Loss3–3Turkey F5, AntalyaFuturesHard Riccardo Bellotti6–7(2–7), 5–7
Loss3–4Egypt F6, Sharm El SheikhFuturesHard Jaroslav Pospíšil4–6, 4–6
Loss3–5Greece F2, HeraklionFuturesHard Peđa Krstin4–6, 6–7(3–7)
Loss3–6Uzbekistan F3, AndijanFuturesHard Denys Molchanov6–2, 6–7(3–7), 4–6
Loss3–7Switzerland F3, GenevaFuturesClay Roberto Marcora4–6, 2–6
Win4–7Tunisia F24, El KantaouiFuturesHard Jannis Kahlke6–3, 6–1
Win5–7Tunisia F31, El KantaouiFuturesHard Antoine Hoang2–6, 7–5, 6–4
Win6–7Tunisia F32, El KantaouiFuturesHard Alexandre Müller6–2, 6–3
Win7–7Tunisia F35, El KantaouiFuturesHard Anis Ghorbel6–3, 7–5
Win8–7Tunisia F36, El KantaouiFuturesHard Anis Ghorbel6–2, 4–6, 6–3
Loss8–8Egypt F3, Sharm El SheikhFuturesHard Karim-Mohamed Maamoun6–7(5–7), 6–2, 4–6
Win9–8Egypt F4, Sharm El SheikhFuturesHard Laurent Rochette6–2, 6–4
Loss9–9Tunisia F21, HammametFuturesClay Cristian Garín4–6, 6–2, 0–6
Win10–9Egypt F18, Sharm El SheikhFuturesHard Bradley Mousley3–6, 6–3, 6–3
Loss10–10Turkey F41, AntalyaFuturesHard Alex Molčan4–6, 5–7
Loss10–11Jan 2017Nouméa, New CaledoniaChallengerHard Adrian Mannarino3–6, 5–7
Loss10–12Feb 2017Tempe, USAChallengerHard Tennys Sandgren6–4, 0–6, 3–6
Loss10–13Jun 2017Fergana, UzbekistanChallengerHard Ilya Ivashka4–6, 3–6
Win11–13China F14, TianjinFuturesHard Li Zhe6–4, 6–2
Win12–13Kazakhstan F2, ShymkentFuturesHard (i) Sanjar Fayziev6–2, 5–7, 7–6(8–6)
Win13–13Jun 2018Fergana, UzbekistanChallengerHard Enrique López Pérez6–3, 6–4
Loss13–14Oct 2018Almaty, KazakhstanChallengerHard Denis Istomin7–6(7–4), 6–7(5–7), 2–6
Loss13–15Apr 2019Barletta, ItalyChallengerClay Gianluca Mager6–7(4–7), 7–5, 2–3 ret.
Win14–15Aug 2019Liberec, Czech RepublicChallengerClay Rogério Dutra Silva6–3, 3–6, 6–4
Win15–15Mar 2021Zadar, CroatiaChallengerClay Dimitar Kuzmanov2–6, 6–2, 7–6(7–5)
Loss15–16Sep 2021Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina ChallengerClay Juan Manuel Cerúndolo3-6, 1-6
Loss15–17Sep 2021Braga, PortugalChallengerClay Thiago Monteiro5-7, 5-7
Loss15–18June 2022Blois, FranceChallengerClay Alexandre Müller6–7(3–7), 1–6

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nikola Milojević prvi junior sveta . Nikola Milojević, the first junior in the world . Bosnian . www.b92.net . 6 January 2013 . 29 October 2023 . 28 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230828070453/https://www.b92.net/sport/tenis/vesti.php?yyyy=2013&mm=01&dd=06&nav_id=675273 . live .
  2. Web site: Tennis results of Nikola Milojevic ATP Tennis Player . www.coretennis.net . 29 October 2023 . 24 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160824124659/http://www.coretennis.net/tennis-player/nikola-milojevic/11425/results.html . live .
  3. Web site: 27/05/08 - JUNIORI U-14: Ivan Divković u dva finala . 27/05/08 - JUNIORS U-14: Ivan Divković in two finals . Bosnian . www.tsbih.ba . 26 May 2008 . 29 October 2023 . 28 October 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211028184459/http://www.tsbih.ba/vijesti/2008/05/270508-juniori-u-14-ivan-divkovi%C4%87-u-dva-finala . live .
  4. Web site: Nikola Milojević prvak evrope... . Nikola Milojević European champion... . Bosnian . www.teniskisavez.com . 3 June 2009 . 23 October 2023 . 28 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220528065512/https://teniskisavez.com/vesti/second-day-of-combine-valuable/ . live .
  5. Web site: Les Petits As 2009 . fr . www.eurosport.fr . 2 February 2009 . 23 October 2023.
  6. Web site: The winners of Les Petits As . www.lespetitsas.com . 23 October 2023 . 26 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231026195914/https://www.lespetitsas.com/en/tournament/winners-record/ . live .
  7. Web site: European Junior Championships 14 & Under . www.tenniseurope.org . 23 October 2023 . 27 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231027162713/https://www.tenniseurope.org/page/16401/European-Junior-Championships-14-Under . live .
  8. News: Marko je patriota! . 2017-11-18 . Večernje novosti . N. . Mandrapa . sr . 3 July 2010 . 2018-12-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181206053246/http://www.novosti.rs/vesti/sport.72.html:290939-Marko-je-patriota . live .
  9. News: Održana pre-draw konferencija NIS Dejvis kup reprezentacije Srbije . 2017-11-18 . Tennis Federation of Serbia . sr . 29 January 2014 . 2018-12-06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181206053253/http://www.teniskisavez.com/vesti/odrana-pre-draw-konferencija-nis-dejvis-kup-reprezentacije-srbije-u-spensu-/ . live .
  10. News: Ne plaše se Vavrinke: Podmlađena ekipa igra protiv Švajcarske u Novom Sadu! (Foto) . 2017-11-18 . Svet . sr . 29 January 2014 . 2017-12-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032055/http://www.svet.rs/vesti/ne-plase-se-vavrinke-podmladena-ekipa-igra-protiv-svajcarske-u-novom-sadu/attachment/nikola-milojevic-nenad-zimonjic-bogdan-obradovic-dusan-lajovic-i-filip-krajinovic-2 . live .
  11. News: ЕКСКЛУЗИВНО, Зимоњић зна тим за Французе, Лајовић прва табла! . 2017-11-19 . Sportski žurnal . sr . 4 September 2017 . 2022-05-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220521103428/http://www.zurnal.rs/tenis/dejvis-kup/52974/ekskluzivno-zimonjic-zna-tim-za-francuze-lajovic-prva-tabla . live .
  12. Web site: LIVE - Filip Krajinovic - Nikola Milojevic Roland-Garros men . 2020-09-29 . 2023-10-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231030210121/https://www.eurosport.com/geoblocking.shtml . live .