B. Cvetojević
The auction was brilliantly led by Milan Gligorić, Laslo and Jelena Kiš
Where there is harmony, friendship and good energy – there is no goal that cannot be achieved!
The best example is the humanitarian tournament of tennis amateurs and recreational players from Sydney, who gathered for the ninth time last weekend at the now traditional and widely recognizable event with the original name – Australian Closed.
A large group of friends, gathered under the cap of the “Nest” organization, once again showed the world the humane face of the Serbian community in the largest city in Australia, which has demonstrated the unity and breadth of its open soul countless times so far.
Gathered around the same goal, the organizers this year like a magnet attracted a large number of people from our area, who came to the Forestville Tennis Center on the North Beaches of Sydney to spend the weekend enjoying sports activities, top culinary specialties, music and socializing.
Even when the time came for the humanitarian auction, no one was spared. Bids ranged from several hundred dollars for tennis shorts from the ATP Cup, to several thousand as much as T-shirts with the signatures of the best Serbian tennis players were paid.
In the end, the line under the account showed that the participants and guests of the ninth Australian Closed tournament collected a total of 25,000 dollars!
A record amount will be spent on the purchase of necessary funds for children’s institutions in Serbia and RS, which will be nominated later.
Smiles in the kitchen
– When founding the organization “Nest”, we decided that our focus would be to help children without parents. It was like that every year, so this one will not be an exception either. However, this may be the first time that we have not specifically determined in advance which institution we will help with the donation, and the reason is the overall situation caused by the pandemic – says one of the creators of the event, Zeljko Gojkovic.
On behalf of the “Nest” organization, Zeljko explained why this year’s planning of the humanitarian aspect of the tournament looked different than before.
– We adhere to the fact that when you promise something to someone, then you have to do it. This year, due to everything that is happening, it was not easy to predict how the event will unfold, so we decided to wait for the end of the tournament and count how much money we collected before making a decision. I am pleased to say that the total amount is around $ 25,000 and in the coming days we will announce to whom the funds will be intended.
Australian Closed began in 2013 with a gathering of a far more modest number of participants and visitors, but each new edition gained in size and grew into an event that attracts hundreds of people of all generations in one weekend.
– We are growing from year to year, and this is confirmed by the fact that this year we had the largest number of male players, as many as 32, and in addition to the usual women’s tournament, we also held a doubles competition for the first time. I can say that this year’s Australian Closed exceeded all our expectations. The whole weekend was exceptional, a large number of people gathered, as evidenced by the fact that everything we anticipated from serving for both days, food and drink, went on Saturday, and on Sunday even more than the first day. In short, it was twice as good as last year – Zeljko Gojkovic does not hide his satisfaction.
This year, “Nest” will not deviate from the rule that the collected funds are not sent to selected institutions as a monetary donation, but in agreement with the recipients of assistance will determine what is necessary to buy, which will then be sent as a dedicated donation.
– We always buy funds, whether they are vehicles, beds, medical aids or something else. For all of us, the greatest satisfaction is when we know that what we have sent is still used. That donation does not have to be worth millions of dollars, but more importantly, it will be able to benefit those for whom it is intended for a long time. It is difficult to single out one, but let’s say that even today we are informed from the maternity home for underage mothers in Zvečanska in Belgrade that our donation in the form of dishes, kitchen and other means is still used. Also, the car we bought four years ago for the Home in Sombor is still being driven, and toddlers are still sleeping on the beds in the Home for Orphans in Banja Luka, some of whom keep the kangaroo toys they received after five years. a special bond between them and us – says Željko.
Many visitors, especially the organizers and volunteers, have already started counting down the days until the next tournament on Sunday night. The next Australian Closed will be a jubilee and it is expected that the limits of achievement of this unique humanitarian event will be pushed again next year.
The youngest winner of the auction with ATP Cup shorts
Champions
The visitors of the tournament had the opportunity to see some true masters of “white sports” in action. And not only great recreational players, but also young talents who have a bright future in tennis as they continue on the path they have set out on.
This primarily refers to the finalists of the women’s tournament, who, although teenagers, showed by far the greatest knowledge with the racket. Tia Vuk Ljuboja won the uncertain match, and her rival Milana Dejanović deserves all the praise.
Both girls played such a good match that they completely overshadowed the men’s final, in which the hardened champions Nebojsa Jovicic and Zeljko Stanisic met. In a match that was marked by endless exchanges of blows and a lot of tactics on both sides, he deservedly beat Nebojsa and became the most trophy-winning participant in this tournament with three titles won.
Tip to the charity
Sydney musician Milan Gligorić made sure that the atmosphere of all participants and guests in Forestville was complete. The master of good notes delighted many times by performing numerous hits from the former Yugoslavia.
There were songs for all generations, and the greatest enthusiasm arose when he sang Bajagina’s “My friends are”. Milan Gligorić has shown his humanity many times, since he gave up the entire tip for the benefit of the children, for which the guests did not save money.
Champion Nebojsa Jovicic (left) in the company of finalist Tijana Bogdanovic and finalist Zeljko Stanisic
Novak’s T-shirt $ 3,500
On the eve of the final matches, a humanitarian auction was held, at which most of the money was collected. It was auctioned mainly for sports equipment with the signatures of Serbian and Australian athletes, but also for the signed CD of the recently deceased singer-songwriter George Balasevic.
As expected, the highest price was reached by a framed T-shirt signed by Novak Djokovic, in which the best tennis player in the world played at Roland Garros in 2019. From the initial $ 1,000, Nolet’s T-shirt eventually “went” for as much as $ 3,500.
“Zele, we love you!”
The organizers and volunteers of the Australian Closed tournament showed how much love and attention they have for each other last weekend when they left all their current obligations as one and gathered to take a joint photo intended for their friend Sasha Zelenbaba, who could not due to poor health. be with them. The charge of sincere emotions and positive energy fit into a wonderful shot and video, in which a friendly message of support broke out from 30 throats: “Zele, we love you!”.
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