Novak Djokovic's Australian Open 2023-winning racquet and outfit to be auctioned off for charity

Novak Djokovic's 2023 Australian Open-winning racquet and outfit will be auctioned off for charity at a gala dinner on Sunday, June 4. The event will be held at the Forum Sports Center in Rome, Italy, where the PL Open International tournament will take place from May 28 to June 3.

The ITF 25k event will be attended by Jelena Djokovic, the tennis star's wife, and Maja Jovanovic, the director of the Novak Djokovic Foundation. The auction is one of the collateral events accompanying the tennis tournament, with a VIP tournament for charity taking place on May 31.

The funds raised from the auction of Djokovic's equipment will go towards his foundation, which has provided support to almost 54,000 children and 8,670 families in Serbia and abroad.

Djokovic's outfit and racket will be the highlight of the gala dinner, with his winning equipment from the Australian Open 2023 up for grabs. Djokovic's partnership with the PL Open International tournament is not surprising, given that the Serbian player has had Italian staff at his service for years, including the project manager of the PL Open, athletic trainer Marco Panichi.

Returning to Australia after his deportation the previous year, the Serb proved his domination at the Melbourne Major once again, winning his record-extending 10th title in the tournament and 22nd Grand Slam overall. The World No. 1 beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in the final and dropped only one set all event -- to Enzo Couacaud in the second round.

Novak Djokovic in action next at the Monte-Carlo Masters

Novak Djokovic at Dubai Tennis Championship

Novak Djokovic is set to make his comeback at the upcoming Monte-Carlo Masters, which begins on April 8. The World No. 1 missed the Sunshine Double event at Indian Wells and Miami after losing to Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Djokovic, who won the Melbourne Grand Slam earlier this year, lost his ATP top-slot to Carlos Alcaraz after the Spaniard won the Indian Wells title. However, Alcaraz lost to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals in Miami, which allowed Djokovic to reclaim the coveted top slot again.

Djokovic, who is the top seed in Monte-Carlo, is expected to be the heavy favorite to win. However, he has only won seven out of 13 matches at the event since his last triumph in 2015, making it his least effective Masters 1000 event with a win percentage of 72.9%.

At this year's tournament, he will be joined by Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Casper Ruud, and defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, among others. On the other hand, Carlos Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal and Felix Auger-Aliassime are some of the top stars who will be missing from the season's first Masters 1000 competition on clay.