Novak Djokovic is an athlete that believes in the idea of giving back to society. Having been one of the best tennis players in the world for several years now, Djokovic has used his fame for good causes and displayed his philanthropic side. In a conversation with Nick Kyrgios, the World No.1 revealed how the Novak Djokovic Foundation benefitted over 50,000 children in Serbia.
The Serb founded the Novak Djokovic Foundation in 2007 alongside his wife (Jelena Djokovic) and parents (Srdjan and Dijana Djokovic). Djokovic was certain that he wanted to help the community in some way, but wasn’t sure how to begin.
Hence, as revealed to Nick Kyrgios, after consulting with UNICEF, the Belgrade native decided to begin by ensuring that children in Serbia got basic education. Apart from 50,000 children benefitting from his program, Djokovic’s foundation has also built and rebuilt more than 45 kindergartens.
“My wife and I along with my parents founded Novak Djokovic Foundation back in 2007 and we really wanted to do something for children but we didn’t know exactly what.
“So we asked UNICEF to help us out and provide us with some insight.
“At that point, there was more than 50% of children in Serbia in early childhood days that were not attending any preschool so we said okay we got to fix this.
“Today, we have over 50,000 children in our programs, we have rebuilt or built from scratch over 45 kindergartens, we have almost 20,000 parents in our programs,” Djokovic told Kyrgios.
Being one of the best athletes ever, it only made sense for Novak to give back to the community by revamping the abandoned tennis courts in the country.
“We also have various programs that are concerning sport. Obviously, that is logically very close to my heart.
“The other year I actually found out that the oldest tennis courts ever built in Serbia were kind of abandoned.
“We renovated those courts and now children from that town and small towns are able to play tennis or involving themselves in some form of a tennis program which is something that is really beautiful,” Djokovic added.
It’s been 17 years since the inception of the foundation and Novak, Jelena, and their 16-person leadership team have been impacting society positively. Due to their success, the foundation is now a registered charity in the UK, Serbia, & USA and a registered Onlus in Italy, as per their official website.
The foundation has also largely played a role in Novak Djokovic becoming one of the highest donors in the tennis world in recent years.
Novak Djokovic Foundation Has Stepped Up Efforts During COVID-19 Pandemic
The Novak Djokovic Foundation has had to work tirelessly in the past few years to contribute during times of distress. During the peak of COVID-19, the multiple-time Grand Slam winner donated generously.
Apart from pledging approximately $1.2 million to purchase ventilators for patients in Serbia, they also gave a $46,000 donation to the city of Novi Pazar (worst-hit city in Serbia).
Additionally, Novak Djokovic donated $5.5 million to healthcare departments and also contributed an undisclosed amount to Rafael Nadal’s charity as well.
A huge thanks to @djokernole for the contribution to the #nuestramejorvictoria campaign helping those in need in the fight against Corona Virus.
Class act Hvala Nole! pic.twitter.com/ypnRPHIZAd— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) April 3, 2020
