Famous Serbian Sportspersons

Widely considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Novak Djokovic is currently third in the list of number of Grand Slam singles titles won by male players. He is known for his powerful two-handed backhand and his service returns. Djokovic is also the only player to complete the career Golden Masters and he has achieved this feat twice.

Retired Serbian tennis player Ana Ivanović is a former world number 1 in singles. By 20, she had already won the French Open. Named one of 30 Legends of Women's Tennis by Time in 2011, she later married German footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger and is now a mother of two.

Serbian basketball player Nikola Jokić is best known for his association with the NBA team Denver Nuggets. Nicknamed The Joker, he plays as a center. He scripted history as the first center to win the NBA’s MVP Award since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000. He has been named to NBA All-Star 4 times.

Boban Marjanović is a Serbian basketball player who plays for the Serbia national basketball team. In 2017, he helped his team win the silver medal at the EuroBasket in Turkey. He also plays in the NBA and is currently a part of the Houston Rockets. Apart from being a basketball player, Boban Marjanović is also an actor.

Serbian footballer Nemanja Matić is best known as a defensive midfielder the Italian club Roma. Starting his senior career with Kolubara, he later had successful stints with clubs such as Chelsea, Benfica, and Manchester United. He has also been named the Serbian Footballer of the Year twice.

Retired Serbian footballer Nemanja Vidić is regarded as one of the most skilled defenders of the game. Starting his senior career with Red Star Belgrade, he later had a successful stint with Manchester United, winning 5 Premier League titles with them, among other honors. He was twice named Serbian Footballer of the Year.

Serbian basketball player Bogdan Bogdanović is known for his association with the NBA team Atlanta Hawks. A talented shooting guard, he has previously also played for the Sacramento Kings. The 2-time Serbian Player of the Year has also won an Olympic silver for Serbia and been a World Cup runners-up.

Vlade Divac is a Serbian former basketball player and one of only seven players in the history of NBA to record 13,000 points, 3,000 assists, 9,000 rebounds, and 1,500 blocked shots. In 2010, he was made an inductee of the FIBA Hall of Fame. In 2019, Vlade Divac was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Retired Serbian tennis player Jelena Janković is a former world number 1 in singles. Apart from Serbian, she has also represented FR Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro. A 4-time Olympian, she was also a runner-up at the 2008 US Open. She also won the 2007 Wimbledon mixed-doubles with Jamie Murray.

Retired Serbian basketball player Darko Miličić scripted history as the youngest foreign NBA player and the youngest player to win an NBA Championship, having won the 2004 NBA finals with the Detroit Pistons. He was also part of the U-16 gold-winning Yugoslavian squad at the 2001 European Championship for Cadets.

Being the son of basketball player and coach Zufer Avdija, Israeli-Serbian small forward Deni Avdija was destined to excel in the sport. The Washington Wizards player is known for his towering 6’9” frame. Beginning his career with Maccabi Tel Aviv, he later won 2 FIBA U20 European Championship golds for Israel.

Serbian basketball executive Peja Stojaković had a successful 13-year NBA career and was a star player of the Sacramento Kings, a team with which he spent 8 years. He also won an NBA Championship with the Dallas Mavericks and later served as the assistant general manager for the Sacramento Kings.

Serbian footballer Lazar Marković is best known as a midfielder for the Turkish club Gaziantep. He has had a successful stint at Benfica, winning 3 titles with them, and was later associated with Liverpool and Fulham, too. He has also won 2 SuperLiga titles with Partizan.

Marko Jaric is a former basketball player who specialized in playing the shooting guard position, thanks to his height of 2.01 m. A popular player in European leagues, Jaric became the first player to win two consecutive Italian League championships with two different teams. He has also won gold medals at FIBA EuroBasket and FIBA World Cup, representing FR Yugoslavia.

Serbian volleyball player Tijana Boskovic was 15 when she joined the Serbian junior team. Apart from an Olympic silver and bronze, she has also won both the World Championship and the European Championship twice. She has also played for the Turkish club Eczacıbaşı VitrA and the Serbian club ŽOK Partizan Vizura.

Retired Serbian footballer Aleksandar Kolarov is known as a talented defender and has played as both a left-back and a center-back. He had an illustrious career with clubs such as Manchester United and Inter Milan and won 2 Premier League titles with the former. He was named the 2011 Serbian Player of the Year.

Spanish-born Serbian footballer Sergej Milinković-Savić currently plays for the Italian club Lazio. A talented midfielder, he is the son of former footballer Nikola Milinković. He was part of the Serbian squad that won the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He has also been named Lazio Player of the Season twice.

Serbian basketball player Nemanja Bjelica plays as a power forward for the Turkish club Fenerbahçe. Starting his senior career with the Austrian club Traiskirchen Lions, he also represented NBA teams such as the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors, winning the NBA Championship with the latter.

Serbian basketball player Aleksej Pokuševski plays for the NBA team Oklahoma City Thunder. A talented power forward/small forward, he began his senior career with the Greek club Olympiacos, before being picked up by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2020 NBA draft. He is the son of a professional basketball player and coach.

Retired Serbian footballer and current manager Dragan Stojković is also known as Piksi, a nickname he got from a cartoon character he loved watching. The talented midfielder has had successful stints with Red Star Belgrade, Marseille, and Nagoya Grampus Eight. He was also part of the Yugoslavian 1984 Olympic bronze-winning squad.

Serbian basketball player Alen Smailagić plays for the Serbian team Partizan Belgrade. The power forward scripted history as the youngest player to participate in the NBA G League. He has played for the Santa Cruz Warriors and the Golden State Warriors. He is also known for his 6’ 10” frame.

Dusan Tadic is a Serbian football player who captains the Serbia national team as well as the popular Dutch club Ajax. He played an influential role in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifications and helped his team qualify for the final tournament. In 2019, he was named Serbian Player of the Year.

Retired Serbian footballer Mateja Kežman had a successful spell with the Dutch club PSV and was also named the Dutch Footballer of the Year in 2002-2003. The striker also represented clubs such as Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain. He is a devout Christian and flaunts religious tattoos.

Retired Serbian footballer Neven Subotic started his senior career with the German club Mainz 05 II and later had a decade-long association with Borussia Dortmund, winning the Bundesliga twice with the latter. He has also represented the US U-17 and U-20 teams and the Serbian national team.

American-Serbian basketball player Marcus Paige began his senior career with the Salt Lake City Stars and later played for teams such as Partizan Belgrade and the Charlotte Hornets. The 2-time Serbian Cup-winning point guard now plays for the club Monbus Obradoiro. He has both US and Serbian citizenships.

Serbian basketball coach and former player Željko Obradović is best known for his association with Partizan, both as a player and a coach. He was also part of the Yugoslavian squad that won an Olympic silver in 1988. As a coach, he has several EuroLeague and Greek League wins under his belt.

Serbian football manager and former footballer Savo Milošević has played as a forward for clubs such as Aston Villa, Partizan, and Rubin Kazan. As a manager, he led Partizan to win the 2018-19 Serbian Cup. He was also awarded the coveted Golden Boot at the UEFA Euro 2000.

Serbian basketball player Miloš Teodosić plays for the Italian club Virtus Bologna. He was part of the Serbian squad that won a silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics and has also won 2 junior European Championships representing Serbia and Montenegro and one U-20 European Championship representing Serbia.

Serbian basketball player Vasilije Micić is associated with the Turkish club Anadolu Efes. The talented point guard has also been a 2-time EuroLeague champion with Anadolu Efes. He has also been part of the Serbian squad that won a silver at the 2017 EuroBasket. He is the brother of renowned snowboarder Nina Micić.

Serbian basketball player Miroslav Raduljica plays for the Serbian club Crvena Zvezda. The talented power forward/center began his senior career with FMP and later had successful stints with clubs such as Panathinaikos. He also won a silver each at the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 World Cup.

Serbian footballer Nemanja Gudelj represents the Spanish club Sevilla. The promising midfielder began his senior career with the Dutch club NAC Breda and later also played for Ajax, Sporting CP, and Guangzhou Evergrande. He won the 2019-20 UEFA Europa League with Sevilla.

Serbian footballer Zoran Tošić currently represents the Kazakh club FC Tobol. The talented midfielder has also played for clubs such as Manchester United and Partizan. He also won 3 Russian Premier Leagues with CSKA Moscow. He has been part of the Serbian squad at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Serbian footballer Aleksandar Katai, who plays for Red Star Belgrade, is a promising midfielder. Starting his senior career with Vojvodina, he later also played for teams such as Olympiacos and Chicago Fire. He has won 3 Serbian SuperLiga titles and 2 Serbian Cups with Red Star.

Retired Serbian footballer Miloš Krasić began his career with Vojvodina and later enjoyed an illustrious career with club such as CSKA, Juventus, and Fenerbahçe. The talented winger was named the Serbian Player of the Year in 2009 and was also part of the Serbian squad at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Retired Serbian tennis player Viktor Troicki was once world number 12 in singles. Starting his training in tennis at age 5, he later scripted history as the first tennis player of the Open Era to win all 3 major team contests, namely, the Davis Cup, the World Team Cup, and the ATP Cup.

Serbian basketball coach and former basketball player Aleksandar Đorđević had an aillustrious playing career, which saw him win titles such as the EuroLeague with Partizan. He also won an Olympic silver and 3 EuroBasket championships with Yugoslavia. As a coach, he helped Serbia win an Olympic silver.

Former world number 26 in singles, Serbia tennis player Filip Krajinović was 5 years old when he began playing tennis. The Sombor-born sportsperson was named Agassi of Sombor for his playing style that is similar to that of Andre Agassi. He was part of the Serbian squad in the 2017 Davis Cup.

Miomir Kecmanovic is a Serbian tennis player who has won one doubles and one singles ATP titles so far. His best Grand Slam result so far has been his advancement to the fourth round at the 2022 Australian Open.

Retired Serbian footballer Nikola Žigić was born to sportsperson parents and grew up amid the tumultuous Yugoslav Wars. Starting his senior career with the Serbian club AIK Bačka Topola, he later represented clubs such as Red Star Belgrade, Valencia, and Birmingham City. He was named the Serbian Footballer of the Year twice.

Former world number 23 in singles, Serbian tennis player Dušan Lajović was all of 7 when he began playing tennis. He had a major contribution in Serbia’s ATP Cup win in 2020. He was initially a regular at the Futures circuit and the Challenger circuit. He now also owns a café in Serbia.

Retired Serbian basketball player and current executive Dejan Bodiroga chairs Euroleague Basketball. The former sportsperson usually played as a small forward and has had an illustrious career with teams such as Real Madrid and Panathinaikos. He is an Olympic silver medalist and a 2-time FIBA World Cup winner.

Serbian footballer Vladimir Stojković plays for the Saudi Professional League club Al-Fayha. The promising goalkeeper is the son of a footballer father and a discus thrower mother and began his career with Red Star Belgrade. He has had a successful stint with Partizan and was named the 2017 Serbian Player of the Year.

Serbian basketball player Nikola Milutinov currently represents KK Partizan Mozzart Bet. The talented center has previously been a Greek League champion with Olympiacos and a 2-time Serbian League champion with Partizan. He was also part of the Serbian squad that won a silver at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Cup.

Nicknamed Serbian Steel, Serbian MMA fighter and sambist Bojan Velickovic competes in the welterweight division. Initially an amateur MMA gold medalist, he later competed for promotions such as the Resurrection Fighting Alliance, UFC, and PFL. He has also been a Tesla Fighting middleweight champion.