N O V A K D J O K O V I C
Portraits by} John Russo
Words by} John Russo
Location} Indian Wells, California
I have had the pleasure to photograph Novak on two separate occasions. Once in 2014 and then earlier this year in Indian Wells. His passion, drive and unyielding dedication to giving back has inspired not only me, but millions of people worldwide to do more. From winning a record 24 grand slam titles to his ultimate quest for Olympic Gold, which he won at the 2024 Olympic Games, to his unwavering drive to be the best, is nothing short of miraculous. He is not only my hero, he is a hero for humanity.
“Belief is the most universal word to me,
even more than hope. For one to achieve his dreams,
he needs to truly believe in them.” Novak Djokovic
“The Novak Djokovic Foundation was founded in 2007 with a simple goal: to help. In 2012 that we switched our mission to early childhood development (ECD) and education. Today, our mission remains the same: change the world by investing in the early years. While supporting and working closely with children, parents, caregivers, and educators through investments, advocacy, empowerment, and promotion of our values, we are reshaping today’s system – and consequently – the future of the entire society.
Novak has always been very passionate and committed to the idea of giving back and helping younger generations. This is something he is dedicated to on and off the court. He always stresses how lucky he was to have the care, love, and support from an early age from his family, and how much their belief in him and his dreams meant to his success. This is why now, through our Foundation, he is able to do just that: provide this support system so that other children like him can dare to dream.
Of course, when his tennis schedule allows for some time off, he is the first one to come and support our work, the team, to greet our partners and donors, listen to the problems we wish to solve, and offer his ideas and suggestions – but his favorite activity is playtime with the children we help.
We have come a long way. When our work started, every second child in Serbia attended preschool. In rural areas, these numbers were even more striking – one in every four children. This meant they had to stay home with their parents or grandparents, without options to play and learn with their peers, and this, in turn, debilitated their start in life.
Ten years since we changed our mission and 15 since we founded the Foundation, we have helped more than 50,000 children through our comprehensive programs and projects. We have also trained more than 2,200 teachers, empowered 8,000 parents, built 11 playgrounds, and opened 52 preschools across Serbia. In just over a year, we have also opened 106 study rooms within the ECEC project, thus helping more than 2,700 children go to preschool. All these results were made possible thanks to the generosity of more than 200 organizations and 5,000 individual donors from 75 countries which share our values and beliefs.
Together, we have invested over $15 million, thus contributing to the improvement of the lives of entire communities, encouraging them to stay in their hometowns and plan their future there, instead of moving to larger cities or abroad.
Our main goal remains the same: to enable more than 90 percent of children in Serbia to attend preschool by 2030. So far, we have made significant progress in that regard and, with the increased institutional support and recognition we are getting as our Foundation is growing, we are on the right track to keep giving children a chance to prosper, to know the joy of success, and to believe that they are worthy of their dreams. “Jelena Djokovic”
In Indian Wells, earlier this year, on a very hot, very busy day for Novak, he took the time to do a photoshoot for Volume II of “One Hundred Making a Difference”. No questions asked, he simply made it happen. In my eyes and most importantly the eyes of the world he is the definition of an ICON.
To learn more about the The Novak Djokovic foundation @Novakfoundation
To learn more about 100 Making a Difference follow @100MAD