The world's no. 1 tennis players, Belgrade-born Novak Djokovic, said on Friday he and his wife would donate €1 million worth of medical equipment to Serbia, including respirator machines essential to help Covid-19 patients in critical condition.

“The respirators are now the most needed medical equipment for saving lives,” Djokovic said, adding the machines would be bought in China and Germany.

He said that his Novak Djokovic Foundation (NDF) spent past weeks finding out what kind of equipment is most urgently needed.

His wife Jelena said that there’s a shortage of respirators on the world’s market due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“They cost around €10,000 to €15,000 each, and it is uncertain if this will be the final cost,” she said.

Experts say that around 15 percent of people diagnosed with Covid-19 develop severe pneumonia which requires several weeks in hospital. About a third of all hospitalised patients need machines such as respirators or ventilators to help them breathe.

Serbia has confirmed a total of 457 cases as of Thursday. The country’s eighth coronavirus-related death was reported on Friday afternoon.

Djokovic said that NDF – which mainly helps fund children education programmes in Serbia – has plans to donate more aid, and announced that they would open a separate bank account for donations from abroad.