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Racism, one of the biggest evils in modern society, reared its ugly head last week when a person of color in Minneapolis, USA succumbed to police brutality. The 'Black Lives Matter' movement has been spreading like wildfire ever since, and on Tuesday it found support from a host of tennis stars - including Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
46-year-old George Floyd was killed last Monday by a police officer who pressed his knee into Mr. Floyd's neck as a means to restrain him. Footage taken by a bystander showed Mr. Floyd lying face down and handcuffed, groaning for help and repeatedly uttering the words "Please, I can't breathe" before becoming motionless.
The flagrantly racist incident led to vociferous protests all across the US, and also gave rise to the #BlackoutTuesday campaign on social media. The idea behind #BlackoutTuesday is to fill social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with black squares, in order to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Organisers said they wanted Tuesday to be a "a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community" through "an urgent step of action to provoke accountability and change".
Celebrities, corporations, labels and prominent sports stars joined the movement and vowed not to post anything on their social media accounts on Tuesday, instead uploading a simple picture of a black square on their profiles.
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer join the #BlackoutTuesday campaign
A bevvy of well-known and high-profile public figures posted black square pictures on Tuesday, and the tennis community was not to be left behind.
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was one of the first players to endorse his support for #BlackoutTuesday, posting a black square on his Twitter and Instagram handles with the message: "Black lives matter".
Rafael Nadal soon followed, posting a similar black picture on his Twitter handle to express his support for #BlackoutTuesday.
Following the social media posts of Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal, a plethora of tennis players - retired and active - joined in and posted similar pictures of black squares on their respective social media handles.
They included, as of this writing, Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Naomi Osaka, Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka, Alexander Zverev, Caroline Wozniacki, Denis Shapovalov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Grigor Dimitrov, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Kim Clijsters, Fernando Verdasco, Lucas Pouille, Madison Keys, Sumit Nagal, Daniela Hantuchova, Daria Gavrilova, David Goffin, Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Lucie Safarova, Ana Ivanovic, Sabine Lisicki, Gael Monfils and Betthanie-Mattek Sands.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have a history of championing humanitarian causes
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are as much champions off the court as they are on it. The duo have a plethora of tennis records to their name, but their humanitarian record is equally impressive.
The world's two highest ranked players support a slew of philanthropic causes that help the needy. In recent times, both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have provided assistance to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, through their respective namesake foundations.
Novak Djokovic donated €1 million for the purchase of ventilators and medical equipment in Serbia. Rafael Nadal, on the other hand, arranged for free laptops and SIM cards to disadvantaged students in Mallorca so that they could attend virtual classes during the pandemic.
Novak Djokovic, through his Foundation, also extends support in ensuring quality pre-school education for kindergarten kids. Rafael Nadal's Foundation, meanwhile, aims to provide kids and young children the opportunity to realize their dreams through academics and sports.
Both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic supported the relief efforts in Australia during this year's Australian Open when devastating bushfires caused huge loss of livestock and vegetation in the country.
In the 2018 flash floods in Mallorca, Rafael Nadal visited ground zero and extended monetary assistance of €1 million to families stricken by the calamity.
It goes without saying that the support shown by Djokovic and Nadal - as well as the rest of the tennis community - will not be the last time the sport shows its humanitarian side.
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