Novak Djokovic fought back tears as he paid an emotional tribute to the victims of the recent school shooting in his home of Belgrade.
The tennis icon and current world number one sent his prayers before writing a touching message on the television camera after an impressive win at the Rome Masters. Djokovic was visibly upset and tearful while sending his message to those affected by the tradegy that took place at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school in the Serbian capital.
"Saint Basil of Ostrog, pray to God for us. Elementary school 'Ribnikar'. My deepest condolences to everyone affected by the tragedy," Djokovic wrote on the camera as millions watched on.
The emotions continued when the seven-time Wimbledon champion was talking to SportKlub as part of his post-match media obligations. Still on the court after his straight set victory over Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Djokovic had a message for the families of the victims.
"Sincere condolences to the parents, he added. "As a father, I can only imagine how those people feel. I hope he gets through all of this."
This is not the first time Djokovic has addressed the horrorific shooting that took place on Wednesday, May 3. The Serbian also posted to his Instagram story and shared more tributes in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
A 13-year-old boy was arrested for the attack that left eight children and a security guard dead.
Belgrade remains a city close to Djokovic's heart, it is where the 35-year-old grew up and the Serbian still has a home there. The clash against Etcheverry marked Djokovic's first game since the shooting.
He was ruled out of the Madrid open as a result of an elbow injury but showed little sign of rust with this emphatic victory as he started his defence of his Rome title.
Djokovic was actually broken in the opening game of the match, but drew level to make it 3 games all in the first set before asserting his dominance on the tie and brushing the world number 61 aside to reach the last 32 of the competition.
The performance bodes well ahead of a big summer in which Djokovic will be aiming to match Roger Federer's tally of eight Wimbledon titles.
