Novak Djokovic will reportedly fork out a six-figure prize money paycheck to charity as a parting gift for winning his first Olympics gold medal.
Last Sunday, Djokovic made history on many fronts. He won the Olympic tennis tournament at the age of 37 and without losing a set, a feat that no man had done before.
Djokovic was a heavy underdog going into the gold medal match as he faced the man in the form of his life. Just a few weeks back, Carlos Alcaraz outplayed him in the Wimbledon final. It extended his title drought to start a season to seven months (his worst since 2005).
But Djokovic played his most clutch tennis when he needed to beat the Spaniard and cement his status, as unanimously agreed upon by tennis fans and pundits, as the greatest tennis player of all time.
Additionally, he became the fifth tennis player to complete the Golden Slam, winning each of the four majors and an Olympic gold medal. He joined an exclusive list comprising Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Serena Williams, and his old rival Rafael Nadal.
For Djokovic, this was the one big title missing from his resume, and he had made it his objective for the season. The magnitude of the competition made him sacrifice quite a number of things, including rest.
When he hurt his knee while competing at the French Open in early June, Djokovic underwent surgery just 24 hours later and withdrew from the tournament to start rehabilitation and training for his comeback.
His success was made all the sweeter by the fact that he became Serbia's first Olympic gold medalist (tennis). He expressed his joy and relief at fulfilling this personal goal in a post he shared on Instagram: Dear Serbia, We did it. Love, Nole.
According to Serbian outlet Kurir, Djokovic was awarded €200,000 by the Serbian government as monetary compensation for his historic achievement at the Paris Olympics. And the 37-year-old has chosen to donate the entire kitty to benefit humanitarian causes.
Like any great athlete competing at the highest level, Djokovic's love for his country goes far beyond just winning tennis tournaments in Serbian colors. He is a passionate philanthropist who aims to make change for the disadvantaged young population in his country.
Through his foundation, which he co-founded with his wife in 2007, he has made early childhood education as accessible as possible in the most vulnerable communities in Serbia. He's done this by building schools, refurbishing classrooms, and offering financial support.
Every year, the Novak Djokovic Foundation holds a fundraiser to support early education and improve Serbia's education systems. Djokovic and his wife make contributions from their pockets to match those of willing donors.
Djokovic is now on vacation, having earned the right to take time off, and will not be coming to Canada this week. It's unclear if he will defend his title at the Cincinnati Open next week, but he won't want to miss the US Open, where he can set the all-time Grand Slam record of winning 25 titles.
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