Five big stars were in the spotlight at the Mediolanum Forum for a two-day tennis show called “Djokovic and Friends” organized by Novak Djokovic to help his Foundation’s mission provide encouragement and resources to young children so that they can fulfil their dreams.
Djokovic founded the Novak Djokovic Foundation in 2007 with the mission to promote early childhood education in Serbia and help children from disadvantaged communities to grow up and develop in a safe environment.
Djokovic and his four friends Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Flavia Pennetta and Fabio Fognini provided a big show to the Milan tennis fans, who packed the Mediolanum Indoor Forum in Assago on the outskirts of Milan for two days of exhibition matches.
The first day of a highly entertaining programme featured a women’s singles match between Serena Williams and now retired Flavia Pennetta followed by an inedit mixed doubles match where Djokovic and Pennetta played against Williams and Fognini. The Milan crowd was excited by the popular Italian showman Rosario Fiorello, who teamed up with his big friend Novak Djokovic for a fun doubles tie-break against Williams and Fognini at the end of the first evening.
Italian former star Flavia Pennetta made her return to the court for the first time since her last official match played at the WTA Finals in Singapore against Maria Sharapova. Williams beat Pennetta 6-3 6-3 with a break in the sixth game of the first set and two breaks in the fifth and ninth games of the second set but the Italian player showed that she was still competitive despite the long absence from the WTA tour.
Williams and Fognini beat Pennetta and Djokovic 5-3 with a decisive break in the seventh game in the mixed doubles match held in an enjoyable atmosphere.
“I enjoyed playing against Serena. I missed competitive tennis but I don’t regret my decision to stop playing in the circuit”, said Pennetta.
The second day was higlighted by the big match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who met 49 times during their careers on the ATP careers and won a total of 26 Grand Slam titles (14 for Rafa and 12 for Nole). Djokovic leads 26-23 in his head-to-head matches on the circuit, including nine of the last ten clashes.
The atmosphere inside the Mediolanum Forum was made electric by the sound of rock music and lights as the two stars were introduced to the crowd by popular Sky Sport football journalist Fabio Caressa.
The Milan match was not an official event but the two stars offered a great show to the nearly capacity crowd who attended the exhibition match held in a relaxed atmosphere. Djokovic beat Nadal 6-4 6-4 in a spectacular match which mixed great tennis with moments of show including lobs, tweeners and other spectacular shots. The match started with a very long first game in which Nadal saved four break points. The match went on serve until the ninth game when Djokovic got the break for 5-4 before serving out for the first set in the next game. At the start of the second set the crowd was entertained by a rally between Nadal and a ballboy. Djokovic got the break with a lob in the seventh game of the second set to take a 4-3 lead en route to winning the second set 6-4.
The Djokovic and Friends ended with a funny tennis show with Djokovic and Fiorello.
The match between Djokovic and Nadal was attended by prominent sport stars like football players Steven Jovetic and Caros Bacca.
The day before the Djokovic and Friends exhibition matches the Novak Djokovic Foundation held a Charity Gala on Tuesday at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan with a red carpet and a cocktail reception followed by a seated dinner. The programme of the special Gala evening featured a music performance of the Italian pop trio Il Volo. The Gala was attended by Foundation co-founder Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena Djokovic (the director of the Novak Djokovic Foundation), along with stars from the world of sport, fashion and film to raise funds for the children that the Foundation supports through its work. The long list of celebrities attending the Gala included fashion designer Giorgio Armani, editor in-chief of Vogue Anna Vintour, Serena Williams, Flavia Pennetta, Fabio Fognini and former football stars Paolo Maldini and Andiy Schevchenko
“I was blessed to have a supportive and loving family who believed in my dream of playing tennis among the world’s best players. As a father, the Foundation’s mission means more to me than ever. I want to ensure every child gets the best start in life through early childhood education so they can achieve their dreams, just as I did”, said Djokovic.
Great words from a big star and a true tennis ambassador.
