Novak Djokovic dedicates camera message to Serbian elementary school shooting victims following Italian Open 2R victory
Novak Djokovic paid an emotional tribute to the victims of the shooting spree at the Vladislav Ribnikar Model Elementary School in Belgrade, Serbia following his second-round victory at the Italian Open. On May 3, a 13-year-old male student opened fire on the students and staff in the school which resulted in the deaths of eight children and one security guard.
Djokovic made a winning start to his title defense at the Rome Masters after defeating Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets. The Serb started the match slowly by dropping his serve before bouncing back to secure a 7-6(5), 6-2 victory.
Following his win, the Belgrade native penned a heartfelt tribute to the victims of the elementary school shooting in his hometown.
"Saint Basil of Ostrog, pray to God for us. Elementary school 'Ribnikar'. My deepest condolences to everyone affected by the tragedy," he wrote on the camera.
“Saint Basil of Ostrog, pray to God for us. Elementary school ‘Ribnikar’”
“My deepest condolences to everyone affected by the tragedy (shooting in Serbian school)”. https://t.co/PACi1ViL7w
The 22-time Grand Slam champion further extended his condolences to the parents of the victims.
"Sincere condolences to the parents. As a father, I can only imagine how those people feel," he said in his post-match interview.
The Serb and his wife Jelena paid their respects to the elementary school gunfire victims in the immediate aftermath of the incident as well.
Novak Djokovic will take on Grigor Dimitrov in Italian Open 3R
Novak Djokovic will be up against Grigor Dimitrov in the third round of the Italian Open. Dimitrov defeated Stan Wawrinka in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6(3) to set up his clash with the defending champion.
Following his win, Dimitrov stated that in his position as an experienced player on the tour, he has grown comfortable playing the top-ranked players. He added that playing against the "top guys" gives him a chance to test his own capabilities.
"Well, I guess that's what I get. There's nothing much to say. I like those matches. I have said this before, I have been on tour for so long that I am feeling comfortable to play against these guys, I know I don't have the best record against him (Djokovic), for example, but I just like to play against him and any other top guys to see where I am at," Dimitrov said.
The Bulgarian said that he is backing himself against the 35-year-old in their third-round clash.
"You never know, at the end of the day, I always like my chances, so you never know how is this gonna go," he added.
Novak Djokovic enjoys a lopsided head-to-head record against Grigor Dimitrov, having won all but one of their 11 previous meeting on the ATP tour.