Novak Djokovic has expressed a plea on behalf of Syrian refugees, describing what he has seen in shelters in Serbia. The world No. 1 said he has been following the recent events and has also come into contact with the issue first-hand.
“Of course, what's happening in the Middle East has been some terrible circumstances with the war,” said Djokovic. “I think out of 12 million people that live in Syria, I heard I think one-third of the nation has left the country. So many of them have passed through Serbia in order to get to their final destination in one of the western countries of the European Union, mostly Germany, Austria. Serbia is basically on their trajectory.
“I could personally also experience, get close to them and see what kind of difficulties they're going through on a daily basis. With UNICEF I've had one of the visits in one of the sites in Belgrade where I think one of the hotels have left a certain space for the families to spend few hours, you know, refresh, eat something, drink. Babies and kids can get to have a play room before they continue their migration.”
Despite his own childhood wartime experiences, Djokovic described the refugees’ plight as new and unsettling to him.
"It was really touching," he said. "It was really hard for me to experience that. Honestly, I've had many of the humanitarian or charity activities in my life. I have my own foundation that focuses on education obviously. I've seen a lot because Serbia in the last 20 years has been through a lot of troubles, economic difficulties and war, and so forth. But this was one of the most hurtful emotions and circumstances.
"Honestly, playing with a child—30 seconds later the mother comes, she takes him away from me, she says, 'We have to go, we have to leave now, we have to walk for I don't know how many miles.'"
The influx of refugees into Europe has put a strain on some countries and there has been controversy about how to handle the crisis. Djokovic noted that those fleeing were victims of a situation outside their control, and said they require help.
"The cause is the war back in their country. You can't blame these people," he said. "Of course they have to search for some better place. It's the obligation of all the countries to give them this right. It's very well written in the International [Charter] of Human Rights, that you have to give at least a shelter.
"I'm very proud as a Serbian seeing what my people have done for these migrants," he said. "They offer shelter, home, food, drink, that's the most basic things."