Novak Djokovic named best Balkan athlete for record 7th time ahead of Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo

Novak Djokovic was named the best Balkan athlete of the year Wednesday for a record seventh time ahead of NBA Champion Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The 34-year-old Serbian tennis great is ranked No. 1 in the world and won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments this year. The results of the annual poll were published by the Bulgarian News Agency. Greek basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA Finals MVP with the Milwaukee Bucks, was second in the poll.

Another Greek, long jumper Miltiadis Tentoglou, was third after winning Greece's first Olympic gold medal in the event in Tokyo. Distria Krasniqi, a judo competitor from Kosovo, was fourth, followed by Serbian judo athlete Jovana Prekovic.

Ivet Goranova of Bulgaria (karate), Bilyana Dudova of Bulgaria (wrestling), Martin and Valent Sinkovic of Croatia (rowing), Mete Gazoz of Turkey (archery), and Nicoleta-Ancuta Bodnar and Simona Geanina Radis of Romania (rowing) rounded out the top 10.

The Balkan poll was conducted among the national news agencies of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey.