Novak Djokovic becomes first tennis player to have Beetle species named after him

According to Serbian media, Serbian scientists have named a new beetle species in honor of tennis great Novak Djokovic.

The official name of the insect is Duvalius djokovici. It was found several years ago in an underground pit in western Serbia, close to the town of Ljubovija. It is a member of the Duvalius genus of ground beetles which are widespread throughout Europe.

According to researcher Dr. Nikola Vesovic, the species is a specialized, blind, subterranean ground beetle, and they named it after the 35-year-old former World No. 1 out of respect for his contributions to his country and as a way to show their appreciation.

"Novak Djokovic - for more than 15 years, this man has been cheering up the entire nation, making us proud, and during that time he has become like a family member to everyone. He is not only the top ambassador of Serbia in the world, but the best male tennis player of all time and one of the most dominant athletes ever. I have the honor and pleasure to announce the discovery of a new insect species from western Serbia that was previously unknown to science," Dr Vesovic posted on his Instagram.

"It is a specialized, blind, subterranean ground beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) found in a pit near the town of Ljubovija. A scientific paper on the description of the new species was recently published in the prominent journal "Annales Zoologici Fennici". As a sign of gratitude and our need to give back to Novak in our own way, we decided to name the new species after him - Duvalius djokovici. Thank you Novak," he added.

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Novak Djokovic to lock horns with Daniil Medvedev in 2022 Astana Open semifinals

Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev at the 2021 US Open.

Novak Djokovic defeated Russian Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the Astana Open semifinals, where he will take on Daniil Medvedev, the Russian who halted his quest for a calendar Grand Slam in 2021 by clinching the US Open.

In light of his semifinal match, the Serb stated in his on-court interview that he hopes to raise the level of his game against Medvedev.

"I always expect highs from myself. Hopefully I can elevate still the level of my game for tomorrow because it’s going to be needed," he said.

After his match against Roberto Bautista Agut, Medvedev expressed his excitement at the opportunity to take on the 21-time Grand Slam champion.

"I am really happy to play against Novak," Medvedev said, adding, "I thought about it before the match and we have only played one tournament together this year, which was Roland Garros. This is the second one and we meet again and I am really happy."