JAKARTA - A number of tennis stars participating in the 2022 Astana Open visited the Asyl Miras autism center on the sidelines of the ATP 500 level tournament schedule in the capital city of Kazakhstan, Monday.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz and owner of 21 Grand Slam Novak Djokovic titles became tennis players who were present to chat and exchange gifts with the children at the health institution.
"They gave me a gift, it made me smile when they gave it to me. I'm very happy to be doing these things, seeing the children happy. And that's the most important thing," Alcaraz said, quoted by Antara, Tuesday.
Asyl Miras is a project from the Utemuratov Bulat foundation, a foundation named after the president of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation. The bubble has so far opened 11 autism centers in the country.
Djokovic has also long owned his own foundation but with a focus on education and early childhood development.
The Serbian tennis player has also sent a message to young autistic fans living in Macedonia. ATP cites information from the World Health Organization (WHO), which mentions about one in 100 children suffering from autism.
Djokovic and Alcaraz's visit came one day after fellow ATP stars Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime mined on Sunday. They also gave gifts to children at Asyl Miras, and received one or two gifts from children including paintings.
Medvedev used the visit to energize him before competing on the pitch.
"They're all happy when we give them a gift and yes, it's just good energy. Giving you a good mood, and of course you want to help people when you see this," Medvedev said.
Felix was no less impressed with the social visit, and he even appreciated the performance of the foundation, which really cared about children with autism.
"Good work done by the foundation. Being an adulha athlete is important, but doing this is also important. These children have the opportunity to develop in a good way, and I am happy to see it with my own eyes. It is very inspiring," said Felix.
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz had smiles on their faces Monday in Astana.The pair visited a center for austistic children in Kazakhstan’s capital city. ❤️ @djokernole @carlitosalcarazz 📹✍🏻: @ktf_kz (YouTube) #nolefam #teamdjokovic pic.twitter.com/A08qDUb68h
— Djokovic Fan (@novakfan_chile) October 4, 2022
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