World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and former Roland Garros champion Ana Ivanovic made donations to their native Serbia, helping the country in the fight against Coronavirus.
Djokovic Follows the Nadal and Federer
Novak stated that he wanted to contribute in the battle against COVID-19, by donating this sum for the purpose of buying the much-needed ventilators and other medical equipment.
“Our donation is one million euros for the purchase of ventilators. They are essential equipment for saving lives,” Novak explained to the journalists in a video press conference. The Serb was addressing them from Marbella in Spain, where he currently is.
Djokovic would explain that he managed to reach the Chinese manufacturer of the ventilators through his uncle, Goran, and to engage in talks. Novak still awaits the final details of the order, because of the incredible demand on the market, which increases on a daily basis. Also, one of the best in the history of tennis, said that the confusion during the pandemic produced all sorts of inaccurate information, which is why he and Jelena waited this long to react.
Djokovic thanked all the medical workers back home, who are trying to save lives and work under huge pressure.
Nole opened the 2020 season superbly, winning the ATP Cup in the beginning, and after that, capturing the record-breaking eighth Australian Open title, reaching his 17th Grand Slam trophy.
Recently, both of his big rivals, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, made their donations to their respective countries. Rafa and Pau Gasol reacted first in Spain and called for the immediate help of all other athletes. The 19-time Grand Slam champion revealed that his country needs €11 million, which would help more than 1,35 million people.
In the meantime, Federer donated more than one million Swiss francs to the families who are endangered by the pandemic.
“These are challenging times for everyone and nobody should be left behind,” FedEx wrote on his Instagram after this donation, reminding everyone that solidarity might be the most important thing in these times.
Ana Ivanovic First to Help Serbia
The former Roland Garros champion, and one of the most elegant tennis players of all time, Ana Ivanovic, made her donation before Djokovic. Ivanovic, the UNICEF ambassador, gave 35 ventilators and lots of medical equipment to the Serbia health care system. It is also added that 1700 packages of help for the most vulnerable families are on the way.
Ivanovic teamed up with several other institutions and companies and will try to provide more held in the upcoming days.
Serbia is entering the peak of the pandemic this week, according to the doctors and governing institutions that monitor the situation. The next several days will be crucial in restraining the virus which already infected 528 people, and is starting to grow exponentially. There are 8 death cases so far.
The government measures imposed include a police hour from 5 pm to 5 am and a total lockdown for all the people older than 65 years. Apart from food stores, the majority of other businesses are closed.
