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‘This man has cheered up the whole nation’: Novak Djokovic reveals an INSECT was named after him after scientists discovered the new beetle in western Serbia
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He is one of the most talented athletes in his country.
But tennis champion Novak Djokovic has been praised in a more unusual way by Serbian scientists, who have announced they are naming an insect after him.
‘Duvalius djokovici’ is the Latin name of the insect species and the tennis star took to social media to tell his army of 11.5 million followers ‘New species of insect found in western Serbia, named after me :-)’.
What an honor? Tennis ace Novak Djokovic has been praised in a more unusual way by Serbian scientists, who have announced they are naming an insect after him
Novak accompanied the post with a picture of the male and female sex of the insect, which scientists say is a type of ground beetle.
The experts said the insect belongs to the genus Duvalius ground beetle and was in fact discovered in western Serbia several years ago, but it’s only now that it’s officially been given a name.
The insect is said to be a unique type of cave predator discovered in Sima’s Pit (Simina Jama), which is located on the Povlen Mountain in western Serbia.
The scientists behind the discovery explained that it shares a number of common traits with Djokovic, including speed, considerable strength, perseverance and the ability to survive in harsh environments.
They also admitted that they were huge Djokovic fans, according to local media.
Share: ‘Duvalius djokovici’ is the Latin name of the insect species and the tennis star took to social media to tell his army of more than 11.5 million followers in an Instagram story
Researcher Nikola Vesovic said: ‘Novak Djokovic – for over 15 years this man has been cheering the whole nation, making us proud, and in that time he has become like a family member to everyone.
He is not only Serbia’s best ambassador in the world, but also 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 previously unknown to science.
‘It is a specialized, blind, underground ground beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) found in a pit near the town of Ljubovija.
‘A scientific article on the description of the new species was recently published in the leading journal Annales Zoologici Fennici.
Exciting: He accompanied the post with a picture of the male and female sex of the insect, which scientists say is a type of ground beetle
Explainer: The scientists behind the discovery explained that it shares some common traits with Djokovic, including speed, considerable strength and perseverance
“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. Thanks Novak!’
Djokovic has been married to wife Jelena for over eight years and shares two children.
She usually stands on the sidelines to support her husband Novak, the number seven in the world.
Earlier this week, he rode to his 89th tour title when he defeated Marin Cilic in straight sets to win the Tel Aviv Watergen Open.
The tennis legend, who played in his first singles tournament since winning Wimbledon in July, came 6-3 6-4 past second-seeded Cilic to take his third touring title of the year.
Lovebirds: the 35-year-old, who has been married to wife Jelena (pictured together) for more than eight years and shares two children