'Shame on you': Outrage over top company's Novak Djokovic ad

PETA has called on India's top dairy brand to remove advertisements featuring Novak Djokovic because the tennis superstar is vegan.

Amul Dairy released a new ad last week featuring Djokovic after the World No.1 won his 19th grand slam title at the French Open.

'NOT GOING TO WORK OUT': Roger Federer's sad family drama

'WHAT A JOKE': Wimbledon hopeful caught in ugly outfit furore

The new ad featured slogans "Serb kuch jeeta...do baar" (referring to Djokovic's achievement of winning every grand slam tournament twice) and "Amul Djo khaaye, usse bhaaye" (which implied the well-known vegan ate dairy).

Animals rights group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has since called on Amul to remove Djokovic from the "misleading" ads.

“Djokovic is a vegan who won his 19th grand slam, and now, PETA India slams Amul for appropriating his image in an ad for the very product he denounces,” PETA India CEO Manilal Valliyate said.

Djokovic has previously said he doesn't like the term 'vegan', preferring to say he eats a plant-based diet.

Valliyate pointed out that a number of the world's top athletes are vegan.

“Today, many athletes and celebrities around the world, including tennis champion Venus Williams, Formula 1’s Lewis Hamilton, American football player Colin Kaepernick, and Olympic gold medallist and football player Alex Morgan, are eating vegan for improved health, concern for animals, or to help the environment," Valliyate said.

"Amul already produces foods that do not contain dairy, like peanut spread and dark chocolate. Won’t you now discontinue the misleading ad featuring Novak Djokovic and consider making your company also known for delicious, healthful vegan milk?"

PETA also took aim at Amul last year when they released an ad featuring Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix for his role in the "Joker".

PETA were quick to point out that Phoenix had condemned the cruel practices of the dairy industry in his Oscars speech.

Djokovic out to equal Federer and Nadal record at Wimbledon

Djokovic can equal Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal's men's record of 20 grand slam titles if he wins a sixth Wimbledon title next week.

The World No.1 one has already won a ninth Australian Open and second French Open this season.

That has put him halfway to emulating Don Budge (1937) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) in sweeping all four majors in the same year.

It is a feat that even his closest rivals Federer and Nadal have never managed and will probably never achieve.

"Everything is possible," said 34-year-old Djokovic after winning the French Open earlier this month when asked if the Golden Slam of all four majors and Olympic Games gold was a realistic target.

"I've achieved some things that a lot of people thought it would be not possible for me to achieve."

Djokovic memorably captured a fifth Wimbledon in 2019, saving two championship points to defeat Federer in the longest ever final at the All England Club at four hours and 57 minutes.

The World No.1 has won seven of the last 11 slams as he ramps up his assault on the record of 20 majors held jointly by Federer and Nadal.

Nadal has already withdrawn from this year's tournament, still scarred by the bruising loss to the Serb in the French Open semi-finals.

And eight-time champion Federer will be 40 in August and won just one match on grass at Halle in the build-up to Wimbledon.

The Swiss star has lost three finals to Djokovic at the All England Club in 2014, 2015 and the epic 2019 clash.

"It's a huge challenge for me," said Federer of his comeback. "Things don't come simple, they don't come easy."

with agencies

Watch 'Mind Games', the new series from Yahoo Sport Australia exploring the often brutal mental toil elite athletes go through in pursuit of greatness:

Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.