Novak Djokovic donates 1 million euros to help Serbia combat coronavirus

Djokovic thanked China for sending several shipments of medical equipment and doctors to help guide Belgrade's Covid19 strategy .

Update: 2020-03-27 14:12 GMT
REACHING OUT: Novak Djokovic of Serbia. AP Photo

Belgrade: Tennis world number one Novak Djokovic said Friday he was donating one million euros ($1.1 million) to help his native Serbia buy respirators and other gear to combat the coronavirus.

The player was speaking in a video conference from the southern Spanish city of Marbella, where he and his family are currently hunkering down under nationwide lockdown orders.

"Our donation is for the purchase of life-saving respirators and other sanitary equipment," said the tennis star.

Normally based in Monaco, the family's stay in Spain is "a pure coincidence", according to his spokesperson.

The 32-year-old said he was working on keeping a "positive spirit" and enjoying the family time with the tennis season thrown into chaos by the pandemic.

Djokovic thanked China for sending several shipments of medical equipment and doctors to Serbia, where they are now helping guide Belgrade's COVID-19 strategy.

Seven people have died and more than 450 are known to be infected with the respiratory disease among Serbia's seven million population, according to authorities.

"I thank China from the bottom of my heart on behalf of myself and the entire nation," he said.

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