An insect is named by scientists after a famous tennis star. What’s behind it and what similarities the animal and the pro are said to have.
Flinky and tough like a tennis legend: Scientists at the University of Belgrade have named a newly discovered insect species after long-time world number one Novak Djokovic. First identified in a grotto in a mountainous region in western Serbia, Duvalus Djokovici is a “subterranean predator – just as Novak is a kind of predator on the tennis court”, biology professor Nikola Vesovic told the AFP news agency on Friday.
His research group gave the insect the name of the winner of 21 Grand Slam tournaments because of its speed, toughness and pliability, Vesovic added. The insect is “very small, completely blind and colourless” and equipped with particularly long legs and antennae.
Not the first animal to be named after Djokovic
Duvalus Djokovici is not the first little animal to be named after the Serbian tennis champion. Last year, a freshwater snail discovered in Serbia’s neighbouring state of Montenegro was christened Travunijana Djokovici.
The 35-year-old Djokovic is currently competing in the ATP 500 tournament in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Serb had to miss the Grand Slam tournaments Australian Open and US Open because he refused a Corona vaccination.
