Dusan_Lajovic

Dušan Lajović

Dušan Lajović

Serbian tennis player (born 1990)


Dušan Lajović (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Лајовић; born 30 June 1990) is a Serbian professional tennis player. Lajović has won two singles and two doubles titles on the ATP Tour. On 29 April 2019, Lajović reached his career-high singles ranking of world No. 23. On 21 September 2020, he peaked at No. 82 in the doubles rankings.[2] He is best known for his clay-court game, kick serve and strong flowing groundstrokes, especially his one-handed backhand. Lajović regularly represents Serbia in team competitions, after playing in the now defunct World Team Cup in 2010 and 2011, he is a member of the Serbian Davis Cup team since 2012 and he contributed greatly to Serbia winning the inaugural ATP Cup in 2020, as he won four of six matches. He won his first singles tournament at the 2019 Croatia Open and reached his first Masters 1000 final at the 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters.

Quick Facts Country (sports), Residence ...

Tennis 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, 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, he played two live rubbers in the 2013 Davis Cup final, including the deciding rubber against Radek Štěpánek of the Czech Republic. He was defeated comfortably in both but was praised by team-mate Novak Djokovic 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 and he reached second round where he lost to Kei Nishikori. He bettered this at the French Open by reaching the fourth round where he was beaten in straight sets by then-world number one and eventual champion Rafael Nadal.

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.[3] At the French Open he lost to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka 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 en route.[4] He reached the semifinals of the Brasil Open after beating top seed and world No. 20 Benoît Paire in the second round, that was his first tour-level semifinal appearance after losing all eight prior quarterfinals matches before in his career.[5] 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.

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 in his opening match. His next match was a five set loss to Miami Masters champion John Isner 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 in the second round, followed by a victory over world No. 6 Juan Martín del Potro, 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 and a five-set loss at the French Open to world No. 3 Alexander Zverev.

Lajović's first-round match at Wimbledon was against defending champion & world No. 2 Roger Federer, 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. On 15 October, Lajović reached the top 50 ranking for the first time in his career.

2019: Top 25; 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 defeating world No. 6 Kei Nishikori. At the Monte-Carlo Masters, he reached his maiden ATP Tour final without dropping a set. En route to the final, Lajović defeated former top 10 player David Goffin, reigning French Open finalist, world No. 5 Dominic Thiem, and world No. 14 Daniil Medvedev. His run ended in the final against Fabio Fognini 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, defeating Hungarian Attila Balázs in straight sets in the final.[6]

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 he defeated 2018 semifinalist Kyle Edmund in straight sets before losing to world no. 14 Diego Schwartzman 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 of Canada[7] and Jan-Lennard Struff of Germany.[8] Despite winning last year, Serbia failed to defend the title.[9] Seeded 23rd at the Australian Open, 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.[10]

Seeded third at the Open Sud de France in Montpellier, Lajović was eliminated in the second round by Dennis Novak.[11] At the Rotterdam Open, he stunned World No. 3 and top seed, Daniil Medvedev, in the first round.[12] 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.[13]

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.[14] Serbia was in Group A alongside Norway, Chile, and Spain. He ended up losing to Casper Ruud, Cristian Garín via retirement, and Roberto Bautista Agut.[15][16][17] Serbia ended up third in Group A. Seeded sixth at the Sydney Classic, he was defeated in the second round by American Maxime Cressy.[18] At the Australian Open, he was eliminated in the second round by world No. 31 Carlos Alcaraz.[19]

Seeded fifth at the Argentina Open, Lajović was beaten in the second round by Argentinian Federico Coria.[20] In Rio, he lost in the first round to Fernando Verdasco.[21] At the Mexican Open, he was defeated in the second round by Tommy Paul.[22] Playing at the Indian Wells Masters, he lost in the first round to Filip Krajinović.[23] In Miami, he lost in the first round to Juan Manuel Cerúndolo.[24]

Lajović kicked off his clay-court season at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He lost his second-round match to Grigor Dimitrov.[25] Competing at the Serbia Open in his country, he was defeated in the first round by qualifier Taro Daniel. At the Estoril Open, he lost in the first round to fifth seed and eventual finalist, Frances Tiafoe.[26] In May, Lajović played at the Madrid Open. He stunned World No. 7 and fifth seed, Casper Ruud, in the second round.[27] He fell in the third round to World No. 14 and twelfth seed, Hubert Hurkacz.[28] Getting past qualifying at the Italian Open, he lost in the first round to Alex de Minaur.[29] Ranked No. 64 at the French Open, he was defeated in the first round by Sebastián Báez.[30]

Seeded second at the Emilia-Romagna Open, an ATP Challenger event in Italy, Lajović reached the semifinals where he lost to Borna Ćorić.

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.[31] Ranked also No. 64 at Wimbledon, he lost in the second round to Alexander Bublik.[32]

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.[33]

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.[34]

He finished the year ranked No. 80 on 5 December 2023.[35]

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, he lost in the first round in four sets against 20th seed Denis Shapovalov.

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 in the first round.[36] In the second round, he defeated Camilo Ugo Carabelli in straight sets to reach his first quarterfinal of the season.[37] In the quarterfinals, he was defeated by the top seed, Carlos Alcaraz.[38]

At the Rio Open, Lajovic reached his second quarterfinal after defeating fifth seed Diego Schwartzman in the first round and compatriot Laslo Djere in the second, both in straight sets.[39] In the quarterfinals, he was defeated again by the top seed Carlos Alcaraz.[40] For the second time, he reached back-to-back quarterfinals at the Chile Open by defeating again Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the first round[41] and Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the round of 16.[42] In the quarterfinals, he lost to Tomás Martín Etcheverry.[43]

At the 2023 Miami Open he won his first hard court match of the season against Andy Murray. Next he defeated 30th seed Maxime Cressy to reach the third round, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets.[44]

In April, he won his second career ATP title in Banja Luka. In the first round he defeated compatriot Filip Krajinović in three tight sets and in the second, eight seed Grégoire Barrère in straight sets.[45] In the quarterfinals, he defeated top seed and world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in straight sets for the biggest win of his career.[46] In the semifinals, he won over fourth seed and compatriot Miomir Kecmanović in three sets, after three hours of play.[47] In the final, he defeated defending champion and second seed Andrey Rublev and returned to the top-40 in rankings.[48]

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 Open Era after Djokovic to reach this milestone.[49] In the second round Lajović scored his third Top 10 win in the space of nine days by taking out seventh seed Félix Auger-Aliassime.[50]

In September, during the Davis Cup Finals in Valencia, Lajovic, playing singles, won in straight sets against Hong Seong-chan from South Korea and gave the all important first point to his Serbian Davis Cup team.[51]

In October, Lajovic advanced to the third round of the Shanghai Masters, after beating Stanislas Wawrinka in the first round and Tallon Griekspoor in the second, both matches winning in straight sets.[52] In the third round, he lost to Hungarian Fabian Marozsan.[53] in the same month, he also made the second round at the next Masters in Paris as a lucky loser, defeating wildcard Benjamin Bonzi.

2024: Two Golden swing quarterfinals

At the 2024 Argentina Open he reached back-to-back quarterfinals at this tournament defeating eight seed Arthur Fils and Alejandro Tabilo before losing to eventual champion, wildcard Facundo Diaz Acosta. At the 2024 Rio Open he reached back-to-back quarterfinals in two consecutive weeks.

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.[54]

Personal life

Lajović was born 30 June 1990 in Belgrade, Serbia to parents Marina and Dragiša Lajović.[55] 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.[56] He lives in Stara Pazova, Serbia where he owns a coffee shop.[57]

Performance timelines

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# P# DNQ A Z# PO G S B NMS NTI P NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (P#) preliminary round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (Z#) Davis/Fed Cup Zonal Group (with number indication) or (PO) play-off; (G) gold, (S) silver or (B) bronze Olympic/Paralympic medal; (NMS) not a Masters tournament; (NTI) not a Tier I tournament; (P) postponed; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

Singles

Current through the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters.

More information Tournament, SR ...

Doubles

More information Tournament, SR ...

Significant finals

ATP Masters 1000 finals

Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)

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ATP career finals

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

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More information Result, W–L ...

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

More information Legend, Finals by surface ...
More information Result, W–L ...

Team competition

Finals: 2 (1 title, 1 runner–up)

More information Result, W–L ...

ATP Challenger Tour and ITF Futures finals

Singles: 17 (12 titles, 5 runner–ups)

More information Legend ...
More information Result, W–L ...

Doubles: 6 (4 titles, 2 runner–ups)

More information Legend ...
More information Result, W–L ...

Record against top 10 players

Lajović's record against players who have been ranked in the top 10, with those who are active in boldface. Only ATP Tour main draw matches and Davis Cup matches are considered:

More information Player, Record ...

Top 10 wins

  • He has a 10–26 (27.8%) record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10.
More information Season, Total ...
More information #, Player ...
* As of 7 April 2024

Exhibitions matches

Singles

More information Result, Date ...

References

  1. "Dusan Lajovic". ATP World Tour. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  2. "Lajovic Lifts Maiden Trophy In Umag". ATP Tour. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  3. "Djokovic gets it done for Serbia against Canada's Raonic, Shapovalov at ATP Cup". www.cbc.ca. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  4. "Zverev, Struff Seal Germany's Spot In ATP Cup Semi-Finals". www.atptour.com. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  5. "Djokovic Praises Serbia's Fight After ATP Cup Exit". www.atptour.com. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  6. "Zverev Wins 50th Grand Slam Match, Beats Lajovic In Melbourne". www.atptour.com. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  7. "Gerasimov builds on win over Murray by beating Bedene in Montpellier". www.tennismajors.com. 25 February 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  8. "Lajovic Ends Medvedev's Shot At No. 2 In Rotterdam". www.atptour.com. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  9. Demartini, Cecilia (5 March 2021). "Borna Coric Upsets Lajovic and Will Face Nishikori at Rotterdam QF". www.sportspundit.com. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
  10. "ATP Cup Updates: France Replaces Austria, Djokovic & Rublev Out". www.atptour.com. 29 December 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  11. "Krajinovic Leads Serbia To Victory". www.atptour.com. 1 January 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  12. "Chile Earns First ATP Cup Tie Win After Doubles Decider". www.atptour.com. 3 January 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  13. "Spain Seals ATP Cup SF Spot". www.atptour.com. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  14. "End for Lajović in Sydney, Ducija no break points against the American". vesti-rs.com. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  15. "Kicking In the Door, Alcaraz Continues AO Surge". www.atptour.com. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  16. "Returning BA Champ Ruud Wins In First Match Since ATP Cup". www.atptour.com. 10 February 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  17. "Veteran Verdasco advances at Rio Open; 5th seed Garin out". apnews.com. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  18. "Nadal Makes Personal History, Nears Medvedev Rematch In Acapulco". www.atptour.com. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  19. "Qualifier earns crack at No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in Indian Wells". sportsnaut.com. 10 March 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  20. "J.Cerúndolo debuts with victory at the Miami Open against Lajovic". canaltenis.com. 23 March 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  21. "Novak Djokovic suffers shock defeat in Monte Carlo". www.yahoo.com. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  22. "Tiafoe Overcomes Illness For Estoril Comeback". www.atptour.com. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  23. "Zverev Shakes Off Cilic In Madrid". www.atptour.com. 4 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  24. "Murray forced out, Nadal to face Alcaraz in Madrid Open quarters". www.chinadailyasia.com. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  25. Rogers, Leigh (10 May 2022). "AUSSIES OFF TO A WINNING START AT ITALIAN OPEN". www.tennis.com.au. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  26. "Roland-Garros: Baez sets up second round clash against with Zverev". www.tennismajors.com. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  27. "ATP roundup: Wildcard upends Holger Rune at Eastbourne". wkzo.com. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  28. "Kazakhstani Bublik eases into Wimbledon 3rd round". www.inform.kz. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  29. "Bagnis Pulls Doubles Duty To Reach Salzburg Open Semis". www.tennis-tourtalk.com. 8 July 2022. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  30. "Tennis, ATP – Argentina Open 2023: Lajovic defeats Baez". Tennis Majors. 15 February 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  31. Tennis Majors et ses partenaires (16 February 2023). "Tennis, ATP – Argentina Open 2023: Lajovic knocks out Ugo Carabelli". Tennis Majors. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  32. "Carlos Alcaraz Wins Fabio Fognini Rematch To Return To Rio QFs – Tennis". ATP Tour. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  33. "World number one Alcaraz reaches last 16 in Miami". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  34. "Davis Cup". www.daviscup.com. [dead link]
  35. "Dusan Lajovic | Bio | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 25 February 2024.

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