Novak Djokovic came up big both on and off the tennis court on Sunday.
The 26-year-old tennis star won his third career Italian Open when he took down rival Rafael Nadal in the finals, taking home a total of $749,934.
Rather than keeping the money for himself, Djokovic donated his entire winning check to help aid relief efforts for massive floods that recently hit his native country of Serbia.
The floods were the results of a record amount of rainfall that hit Serbia and neighboring Bosnia over the past several days, leaving a massive path of destruction that could cost both countries billions of dollars to clean up.
“I’m trying to contribute in my own way,” Djokovic said Sunday, via ESPN. “These are very critical times for our country and our people. But we’re being united and this win and this trophy is dedicated to them.”
Djokovic, who was born in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, drew a heart in the clay with his racket following his victory over Nadal.
“This heart on the court is for you,” Djokovic said after the match. “It’s also a special dedication to my country, which is suffering a lot right now. My heart is with them.”
Photo via Twitter/@BBCSport
