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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
JOE KRISHNAN

Novak Djokovic donates €1m to help fight coronavirus in Serbia

World no1 Novak Djokovic has donated €1million (£897,000) to aid those fighting against the coronavirus in Serbia.

The 17-time Grand Slam winner has joined fellow tennis stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in giving money to his native country to fund supplies for emergency services.

The 32-year-old is renowned for his charitable acts through the Novak Djokovic Foundation, which is run by his wife Jelena.

On Friday, Djokovic announced his pledge to contribute towards efforts in Serbia, which has reported 457 positive Covid-19 cases, by purchasing medical equipment and ventilators.

“I wish to express my gratitude to all the medical staff across the world and in my native Serbia for helping everyone infected by the coronavirus,” Djokovic told Serbian media.

Donation: Novak Djokovic has given £897,000 to his native Serbia to fight coronavirus Photo: AP

“Unfortunately, more and more people are getting infected every day. My wife Jelena and I are putting together a plan how to best donate our resources to people in need.

“Our donation is one million euros for the purchase of ventilators and other medical equipment.”

The tennis season has been postponed until at least June 7 by the ATP and WTA, with the French Open rescheduled and Wimbledon expected to be cancelled.

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