Nole and Andy respond to the refugee crisis

Andy Murray at the 2015 Australian Open. Photograph by Brendan Dennis.

We kid around on this blog about tennis players, their quirks and perks, but they are also men and women of conscience.

For every ace Andy Murray hits from now until the end of the season, he is donating 50 pounds (roughly $78) to UNICEF on behalf of the Syrian refugees. (Good man, Andy. Keep ’em coming.)

For Novak Djokovic, seen here visiting a designated play space for refugee children at the Hotel Bristol in his native Belgrade, this is clearly personal. He’s not only a UNICEF ambassador; he’s a man who was bombed as a child and who once said that war is the worst thing anyone can experience.

As I discuss in my novel “Water Music,” the first in my series “The Games Men Play,” such a man can transcend the experience; the child within, however, never forgets.

Click here to donate to the Syrian refugees.