Novak Djokovic donates over $200,000 to humanitarian causes after being awarded the hefty sum by Serbian government for winning gold at Paris Olympics
Novak Djokovic was reportedly awarded €200,000 ($218,281 at the time of writing) by the government of Serbia for his victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics. According to reports, the Serb has proceeded to donate the entire sum for humanitarian purposes.
Djokovic went into the Paris Games’ tennis tournament desperate to win Olympic gold in men’s singles, the one prestigious achievement that had eluded him. However, the Serb’s form so far this season, up until the commencement of the Olympics, had been up and down, to say the least.
Despite reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open and the final of the Wimbledon Championships, the 24-time Major winner had yet to win a title in 2024. The Wimbledon final, his last match before he stepped out for the Olympics, was a one-sided affair, as young rival Carlos Alcaraz outplayed him from start to finish.
However, the Serb seemed to brush aside the topsy-turvy nature of his 2024 season at the Games, storming into the gold medal match after defeating Matthew Ebden, Rafael Nadal, Dominik Koepfer, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Lorenzo Musetti. Djokovic then played arguably his most rock-solid tennis in the gold medal match against Alcaraz, ultimately emerging triumphant [7-6(3), 7-6(2)] to complete, by his own admission, his tennis puzzle.
To honor the great achievement, the government of Serbia awarded Djokovic a sum of €200,000 ($218,281 at the time of writing), based on reports from the country’s daily tabloid newspaper Kurir. The same newspaper also reported that the World No. 2 has not kept a single penny from the sum for himself, and has instead chosen to donate it all for humanitarian purposes.
Novak Djokovic raised a significant sum with wife Jelena Djokovic earlier this year for enhancing education in a Serbian village
The Novak Djokovic Foundation, run by Djokovic and his wife Jelena, has over the years contributed immensely to the fields of education and mental health, especially in Serbia. The foundation reflects the 24-time Major winner’s very own generous side, which often tends to go under the radar.
In February earlier this year, the foundation’s official Instagram handle announced that it had raised €174,222 ($190,164 at the time of writing) to build a kindergarten in the Serbian village of Rvati. The kindergarten project aimed at accommodating 60 students, with the foundation committing to donate any leftover money to pre-schools across the Balkan nation.
On the tennis front, Djokovic’s next big goal would be to successfully defend his US Open title. The former World No. 1 has a chance to overtake Margaret Court and become, outright, the only tennis player in history to win 25 Majors. Main draw matches at the 2024 US Open are slated to commence on Monday, 26 August.
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Source: The Wall Street Journal
