10:21, 25 June 2026
Words by Cheyanne Bryan, Editorial and Campaign Marketing Executive, London
The world is really in a big sporting season at the moment, with the World Cup well underway and Wimbledon warming up, we are inundated with the heartwarming displays of sportsmanship — and truly we love to see it.
While many fans are looking at what is happening at the arena, sometimes these athletes make their biggest impact off the court. Here are 5 Wimbledon legends that have transformed their Grand Slam prize money into international change.
Now-retired Swiss professional tennis player, Roger Federer is widely dubbed one of the greatest players in the sport’s history. With 20 men's singles Grand Slam titles, 8 of which being at Wimbledon,
In the midst of his career, he started the Roger Federer Foundation with the aim to strengthen early childhood education in Southern Africa and Switzerland – playing homage to his cultural background. Quality learning development, teaching training initiatives, and collaboration with government and local agencies are the core focus areas to achieve results in the countries that the foundation works on.
By the end of 2024, the foundation reached 3.1 million children and trained over 59,000 teachers. Now, the rolling out of its next strategy is underway: to incorporate tablet-based learning kiosks and the "Child Steps" digital assessment tool, which was successfully adopted into Zimbabwe's national education system to track preschool school readiness.
Similar to Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic is also passionate about education for disadvantaged communities. Additionally nicknamed "The Djoker," for his unmatched flexibility, incredible court coverage, and phenomenal defensive baseline play, the passion he shows on the court translates over to his foundation.
The Novak Djokovic Foundation focuses intensely on preschool education, targeting vulnerable, low-income, and Serbian children who are often left completely out of early education systems. One of the foundation’s biggest accomplishments was to build and refurbish dozens of schools across Serbia, ensuring thousands of kids have access to safe, modern educational environments.
Their latest initiatives have moved beyond traditional schooling. In May 2025, Djokovic partnered with Lacoste to launch specialised tennis facilities in Belgrade to integrate children facing social exclusion into sports.
For Rafael Nadal, success has never been measured solely by trophies. The two-time Wimbledon champion has spent more than a decade proving that sport can be a powerful vehicle for social inclusion through the work of the Rafa Nadal Foundation. Built on the belief that education and physical activity can transform lives, the foundation focuses on supporting children and teenagers facing significant socio-economic challenges.
As the foundation celebrated the tenth anniversary of its flagship Rafa Nadal Foundation Centres across Palma, Valencia and Madrid, its impact continued to expand through programmes designed to combine academic support with sport. The standout initiative for the 2025–26 academic year is Play All, which provides young people from vulnerable backgrounds with free access to tennis coaching, equipment and mentoring, ensuring financial barriers do not prevent participation.
Nadal's philanthropic reach extends far beyond Spain. Through the Nadal Educational Tennis School (NETS) in Anantapur, India, thousands of children have gained access to educational and sporting opportunities that would otherwise be out of reach. It is a reminder that while Nadal's legacy was forged on Centre Court, his humanitarian vision stretches across continents.
Long before conversations about equality became commonplace in professional sport, Venus Williams was leading them. The five-time Wimbledon singles champion is perhaps best known for her instrumental role in helping secure equal prize money for women at Wimbledon back in 2007, a landmark achievement that permanently altered the financial landscape of tennis.
Off the court, both Venus and her sister, Serena, have a longstanding commitment to creating opportunities that extends far beyond the tennis court through the Williams Family Excellence Program which launched in partnership with the USTA Foundation. Inspired by the determination and resilience that propelled Venus and Serena Williams from public courts to the pinnacle of professional tennis, the initiative supports young people aged 13 to 25 from under-resourced communities through mentoring, educational support, scholarships and career development opportunities.
The programme uses tennis as a gateway to broader personal and professional success, helping participants build pathways from the baseline to the boardroom. Reflecting Venus Williams' longstanding commitment to equality and opportunity, the programme aims to ensure that talent and ambition are never limited by circumstance, extending the Williams family's legacy well beyond the sport that made them household names.
