"Novak Djokovic is the man who did much for this country, we feel urged to pay him back" - When scientists named new beetle species after Serb
In 2022, Serbian scientists named a new beetle species after their star tennis player, Novak Djokovic. It was done to honor the 24-time Grand Slam champion for his contributions to the country.
The insect belongs to the Duvalius genus of ground beetles that are present in Europe. It is named Duvalius djokovici and was discovered several years ago in an underground pit in Ljubovija, Western Serbia.
According to researcher Dr. Nikola Vesovic, the species is a specialized, blind, subterranean ground beetle.
"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," Vesovic said (via Instagram).
"I have the honor and pleasure to announce the discovery of a new insect species from western Serbia that was previously unknown to science. 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 - πΏπͺπ«ππ‘ππͺπ¨ πππ€π π€π«πππ. Thank you Novak!" he added.
The Guardian later quoted Vesovic as saying:
"I proposed to name the new species after Djokovic. He is the man who did much for this country. We feel urged to pay him back in the way we can."
Novak Djokovic won Olympic bronze for Serbia in 2008
Novak Djokovic won a bronze medal for Serbia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion defeated Robby Ginepri, Rainer SchΓΌttler, Mikhail Youzhny, and Gael Monfils but was ultimately beaten by eventual gold medalist Rafael Nadal in the semifinals.
The No. 3 seed later defeated America's James Blake 6-3, 7-6(4) in the bronze medal match, bringing Olympic glory to his country.