Novak Djokovic a hero in and out of tennis
The French Open “Roland Garros” tennis tournament continues today but even though Novak Djokovic would love nothing more than to win the Grand Slam, he knows there are far more important events happening in the world when people are starving
Two years ago, the Serbian was the world number one and when winning at Roland Garros, he held all four Grand Slam titles at the same time. Last year though, personal issues and an elbow injury seriously affected his career and he’s now down to number 22 in the rankings.
He’s on the comeback trail and has safely made it through to the third-round of the French Open and it’s surely just a matter of time until he becomes a title contender again after his recent semi-final appearance in Rome. But Novak knows winning a tennis match is nothing compared to the struggles that many people around the world face on a daily basis.
Speaking after his second-round straight sets win over Spanish qualifier Jaume Munar, Djokovic had some serious subjects to talk about and certainly put everything in perspective. “It’s just the way it is. As an athlete I have to face these challenges,” said Novak regarding his current position in world tennis but there is a lot more to the world then trying to win a tennis tournament.
Source: express.co.uk
“To sit here and talk about how tough it is and you have people starving to death, for me, there is no point talking about that [his personal issues].” His opinions aren’t a surprise to anyone. In 2007 he founded the Novak Djokovic Foundation which has the task of helping children from disadvantaged communities. He’s also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. After winning the Australian Open in 2016, he donated $20,000 to Melbourne City Mission’s early childhood education programme to help disadvantaged children.
Djokovic now faces the 13th seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the next round, with that match being the second match scheduled for the Suzanne Lenglen court on Friday. A win in that game could see him facing the fourth seed Grigor Dimitrov in the last sixteen. Whatever the results though, he’s determined to carry on his off the court charitable work that means so much to him.
The French Open hasn’t seen too many shocks so far this year. Rafael Nadal, who is chasing his 11th title at Roland Garros has made it through the first two rounds without dropping a set and only lost four games in his second-round win over Guido Pella. He faces Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the third round.
A new women’s champion is assured after last year’s surprise winner Jeļena Ostapenko was knocked out in the first round. A lot of the focus is on Serena Williams and if she wins her next match, there could be a fourth-round clash with Maria Sharapova for us all to look forward to, but like Novak says, there are far more important things happening in this world than a tennis match.
