4 occasions when Novak Djokovic showed his generous side

Statistically, it has become almost impossible to make a case against Novak Djokovic not being the greatest tennis player of all time. The Serb has won a whopping 24 Major titles -- the most by any player, male or female, in the Open Era. At the same time, his big-hearted personality has as much to do with his growing fanfare as his illustrious career.

Even though the World No. 1 is much maligned by a few fans for his controversial views, he has always maintained a generous demeanor. He has also gone out of his way several times to make charitable contributions to his fans, peers and global institutions.

Without further ado, let's take a look into a few instances when Novak Djokovic showed his magnanimous side:

#1 Novak Djokovic helped a little girl from getting crushed by crowd after Paris Masters 2023 triumph

The 24-time Major winner embraces a young fan after she got suffocated

Novak Djokovic was yet again in imperious form at the 2023 Paris Masters, defeating Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to win his 40th ATP Masters 1000 title. However, while his haul of triumphs is remarkable enough, what he did in the aftermath of the championship match in Paris-Bercy deserves praise.

After sealing the deal in Paris, the Serb approached the enthusiastic French crowd to sign a few autographs. The fans, however, soon began swarming the railing of the first row of Accor Arena, suffocating a little girl in the process.

Djokovic and a staff member soon noticed the struggling girl, following which the crowd was asked to scatter. The 24-time Major winner then hugged her tight to his chest to give her relief.

#2 Novak Djokovic provided funding to budding Serbian Hamad Medjedovic's career

Hamad Medjedovic roars at the 2023 Astana Open

Novak Djokovic has also extended his generosity to his colleagues on the men's tour. Having come from humble beginnings, the Serb understands better than most the throes that professional tennis players have to go through to pick up financing for their career.

In that context, it was a big gesture from the Serb to finance promising 20-year-old Hamad Medjedovic. According to an account from the World No. 107's father, Medjedovic's team didn't have to spend a dime as it was all taken care of by their magnanimous compatriot.

“We did not spend a dime, and believe me, that is not a small amount in the world of tennis, on the contrary. Imagine, the best player in the world is calling my kid to work together in the pre-season... These kinds of things are rare in today’s world, but thank God there are still people who don’t care only about money, but about the human side of things," he said in 2020.

#3 Novak Djokovic made COVID-19 donations in three different countries

The Djoker made several donations to help COVID-19 victims in 2020

Many fans seem to have forgotten Novak Djokovic's contributions to the medical industry in 2020. When the entire world was brought to its knees by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Serb set out to help those in need.

For what it's worth, the 37-year-old was one of the few popular athletes to have contributed funds to three different countries. First, he donated an undisclosed amount to hospitals in Italy in the early stages of the pandemic.

He then gave 5 million Serbian Dinars (approximately €42,500) in donation to the Serbian town of Novi Pazar — one of the worst-hit areas by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Serb also contributed $5.5 million to the healthcare department and Christian charities in his home country. Later, he also donated huge sums of money to Spain, for which his archrival Rafael Nadal was admittedly grateful.

"A huge thanks to @djokernole for the contribution to the #nuestramejorvictoria campaign helping those in need in the fight against Corona Virus. Class act," Nadal wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in 2020.

#4 Novak Djokovic made donations to bushfire victims in Australia

The Serbinator poses with the 2021 Australian Open trophy

Novak Djokovic had also made hefty donations to Australian bushfire victims in 2020. The tennis caravan had flown Down Under for the Melbourne Slam in January, around the time when the country was ravaged by bushfires.

Maria Sharapova was the first tennis player to donate huge sums of money to the victims of the natural disaster. The Serb soon followed suit, giving $25,000 in charity to Australia.

"Yes, @MariaSharapova, I would like to match your $25k donation to double the aid sent to these communities. We stand by you, #Australia," he said back then.

Australia's Nick Kyrgios expressed his gratitude to the Serb for his humanitarian gesture two years later, when he was trying to reason with the local public not to antagonize the latter over his COVID-19 vaccination row.

"I'm not siding with him, the guy's a human and I just want him to be treated like one... He's done a lot, when we had the bushfires, he was supporting us. When we needed help, he came and helped us. We're treating him like he's never done anything, he's a villain, which he's actually not," he said on his No Boundaries back then.