Novak Djokovic has declared he has more money than he needs and has vowed to help struggling tennis stars. The Serbian is the most successful men’s player of all time and clinched a record-extending 24th Grand Slam title in September when he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final.
Djokovic has won over £143million in prize money throughout his illustrious career, according to the official ATP Tour website, thanks to his successes on the court over the years. And the 36-year-old has been supporting his compatriot Hamad Medjedovic in recent years to help pay for physiotherapists, hotels and transport.
Djokovic was quizzed by John Wertheim during an interview for 60 Minutes which aired on CBS on Sunday night. And after being asked why he financially supports other players, the veteran said: “Well, because I have plenty, you know? I have much more than I need. But, women and men who are around 200 and lower ranked in that world, they are struggling a lot.
“They can’t afford a coach. They can’t afford travels. They skip tournaments. Many of them leave tennis who are super talented and maybe capable of reaching great heights and successes. But they just can’t make it.”
Djokovic’s support of Medjedovic has clearly paid off as the 20-year-old lifted the Next Gen ATP Finals trophy earlier this month. And explaining the link-up between Medjedovic and Djokovic, the youngster’s father Eldin previously told Sportal: “I remember the second conversation I had with Novak ever, we spoke about specific steps in Hamad’s career.
“Novak was presenting me with ideas, what to do with Hamad’s game, and I remember telling him, ‘Nole, I am sorry, but the things you are talking about cost a lot of money.
“And he just keeps going about coaches, what are we going to do and how, and then says, ‘All Hamad needs to do is to work hard, I will take care of the rest.’ I told him again, ‘Nole, it costs a lot.
“At that point, Novak told me, ‘Edo, I am not doing this for the money. I make my money elsewhere, my role here is to help. What kind of man would I be if I would not help the kinds that deserve it, that love tennis and – on top of that – achieve good results?’ I just stand there and he adds, ‘You know what we are going to do? One day, when Hamad makes it, you are going to take someone under your wings and help in the same way.”
