Novak Djokovic has supported many noble causes both inside and outside of tennis, and he has even bigger plans for 2025.
Djokovic's philanthropic work is well known. He is a co-founder of the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which helps young children in his native Serbia access quality education. In recent months, he oversaw the development of early childhood education projects in remote areas of his country.
Djokovic also helped found a rival breakaway organization, the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA), which defends the interests and hears grievances of ATP and WTA players. He had previously served as a member of the ATP Players' Council until 2020.
According to Jon Wertheim, the 24-time Grand Slam champion plans to do something unprecedented next year. The respected American journalist revealed Djokovic's idea of hosting an All-Star tennis event in California just before the start of Indian Wells.
In fact, Djokovic's early trip to Stateside this spring was directly linked to this project as he sought venues for staging this groundbreaking event in LA, where he spent time with his nine-year-old son Stefan watching a football match.
"Everybody wants a tennis All-Star game right. We have a skills competition, men, women, everything to celebrate our sport. Well, you know what a really good time to do that might be? Right before Indian Wells. Everybody's happy, they come to Southern California."
"And I've heard that Novak has really taken an interest in this. This is not just, 'Hey we should have an All-Star game.' There is a logo somebody showed me, they're looking for venues. This would be in Los Angeles."
Wertheim tells Roddick that the idea is already at an advanced stage. He reckons it would be smart from a business perspective, especially with the stars of both men's and women's tennis involved, as it will draw in huge crowds.
"Yeah, he's always looking for ways to involve players, this is a legacy play but I also this this makes smart business sense. Who wouldn't want to see Coco try to hit targets or have a sprint competition, or who can serve the fastest."