“This medal, these moments, this life—none of it would have been possible without your unwavering support.” This is how Novak Djokovic dedicated his recent victory at the Paris Olympics to all of his supporters. Not just the Serbians but fans from all across the globe came forward to appreciate his legendary achievement at the age of 37. Among several renowned entities, Elon Musk also gave a shot at extending praise for the Serb after almost a year of backing him in the vaccination controversy.

Novak Djokovic recently hit a significant milestone by winning his first-ever Olympic gold medal at the Roland Garros. He defeated Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, 7-6(3), 7-6(2), in the men’s singles final. This victory marked Djokovic’s fifth Olympic appearance and completed his collection of all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold, joining the elite company of Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams.

Elon Musk, the famous entrepreneur behind SpaceX and Tesla, couldn’t resist congratulating the Serb on social media. He dropped a comment on Djokovic’s post, saying, “Congratulations! 🇷🇸.” The post was targeted to express gratitude to his supporters: “I could never give up on the dream of winning this gold medal, just as the people of Serbia have never given up on me. Together, we believed in the impossible. While I may be the one holding this medal, I want every Serbian to know that it belongs to all of us,” the caption said.

This comment wasn’t just the start of a dynamic between the SpaceX owner and the Serbian tennis great. Back when Novak Djokovic attracted hate because of his vaccine controversy, Musk defended Djokovic’s decision not to get vaccinated. He responded to a post by journalist Ed Krassenstein, who discussed vaccine efficacy. Musk mentioned Djokovic to highlight that people can still achieve great things without getting a shot of vaccine. He said, “Djokovic achieved a Slam record without a vaccine.”

Musk used this statement to criticize the mandatory vaccination policies, stating, “My concern was more about the outrageous demand that people have to get the vaccine and the multiple boosters to do anything. Until the Supreme Court invalidated Biden’s executive order, SpaceX and many other companies would be forced to fire anyone who refused to get vaccinated!”

With this latest Olympic achievement, Novak Djokovic continues to inspire and be an example of strength, despite going through a dark phase that revolved around his denial to be vaccinated. However, it isn’t just Elon Musk who backed the Serb while a majority of the entities were against him.

When Nick Kyrgios backed Novak Djokovic during his vaccine controversy

The news of Novak Djokovic’s deportation started to spread even quicker than the deadly coronavirus itself. Almost everyone from the tennis community started seeing him as a culprit and that was the time when the Australian ATP star showed up to his aid. The Serb, even after years of getting rid of the dark phase, remembers the unwavering support from his co-player and therefore opened up about his in an interview during the Australian Open.

“You were one of the very few colleagues on the tour to use his platform, use his voice, to support me (during the deportation) and that is something I will never forget,” Nole said in an interview. This made fans realize how a fierce entity like Kyrgios could also have a softer side when it comes to backing the free will of an athlete, especially for his own well-being. Although the period marked one of the toughest times in the Serb’s career, the support from people like Elon Musk and Nick Kyrgios helped him get through.