Novak began playing at age four and made his pro debut at 16. His nickname is Nole.
His idols were Pete Sampras and John McEnroe. At the age of 12 attended Niki Pilic Academy in Munich and practiced there for almost two years before returning to Belgrade. He speaks Serbian, Italian, German and English.
His favorite surface is hard courts but he considers himself an all around player and his best shot is backhand down the line.
As a junior, advanced to Australian Open junior singles and doubles SF (w/Jenkins) in 2004. Novak has a 12-4 career singles record (2-0 in doubles) in 10 Davis Cup ties since 2004. In September 2007 he appeared on Vogue Magazine. Named 2006-07 ATP Most Improved Player of Year. In June 2008 was elected to two-year term on the ATP Player Council. Since June 2006 he works with physiotherapist Milan Amanovicand and is coached by former ATP pro and Slovak Republic native Marian Vajda and American Tod Martin.