Novak Djokovic, the world No 1 tennis player, has tested
positive for coronavirus .
The Serbian becomes the latest player who featured on
the ill-advised Adria Tour last week to contract Covid-19,
with events going ahead without any social distancing
protocols and with full stadiums in Croatia.
Djokovic’s positive test follows similar results for Grigor
Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki, who all played
at events last week and joined each other in games of
football, basketball and on nights out.
In a statement issued on his official website, Djokovic
confirmed that both he and his wife tested positive for
Covid-19 upon returning to Belgrade from the Croatian
city of Zadar, where the most-recent Adria Tour event was
being held.
“The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be
tested,” Djokovic said. “My result is positive, just as
Jelena’s, while the results of our children are negative.”
The 17-time Grand Slam winner added: “I am extremely
sorry for each individual case of infection. I hope that it
will not complicate anyone’s health situation and that
everyone will be fine.
“I will remain in self-isolation for the next 14 days, and
repeat the test in five days.”
Djokovic organised the event to take place in Serbia,
Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia, although the
Montenegrin government stepped in to cancel their event
and next weekend’s two-day affair in the Bosnian city of
Banja Luka is now certain to be abandoned too.
Djokovic posed for photographs with fans at events in Belgrade
and Zadar (EPA)
However, a sellout 4,000 crowd attended both days of the
Belgrade event, while a 50 per cent attendance was
present in Zadar for last weekend’s tournament where
Djokovic, Dimitrov and Coric all played.
Djokovic stressed that he organised the event “with a
pure heart” to keep players in South-Eastern Europe
match fit while global tennis is on hold due to the
pandemic, but his actions has attracted significant
criticism for aiding the cross-border spread of Covid-19.
“Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure
heart and sincere intentions,” Djokovic added. “Our
tournament meant to unite and share a message of
solidarity and compassion throughout the region.
“The Tour has been designed to help both established and
up and coming tennis players from South-Eastern Europe
to gain access to some competitive tennis while the
various tours are on hold due to the Covid-19 situation.
Novak Djokovic poses with a number of young volunteers and
players on Sunday 14 June in Belgrade (AP)
“It was all born with a philanthropic idea, to direct all
raised funds towards people in need and it warmed my
heart to see how everybody strongly responded to this.
“We organised the tournament at the moment when the
virus has weakened, believing that the conditions for
hosting the Tour had been met.
“Unfortunately, this virus is still present, and it is a new
reality that we are still learning to cope and live with.
“I am hoping things will ease with time so we can all
resume lives the way they were.”
Djokovic played football and basketball with other players
while on the Adria Tour (AP)
The tournament drew criticism from leading voices within
the sport for not including any social distancing
measures, with players regularly seen to be hugging each
other at the net, shaking hands with each other and match
umpires, and posing for photographs with numerous fans.
It drew criticism this week from current Australian star
Nick Kyrios and multiple Grand Slam winner Chris Evert,
who questioned how the tournament can be allowed to go
ahead without such measures at a time when the
pandemic is ongoing.
Djokovic was helped in staging the Adria Tour by his
brother Djordje, who admitted before news of the world
No 1’s positive test was known that the contraction of
coronavirus by numerous players was a “worst-case
scenario”.
Djokovic came into contact with a number of players on the
Adria Tour (AFP via Getty)
"This was the worst possible scenario," event director
Djordje Djokovic told Serbia's Prva Television. "Novak was
not obliged to take the test in Croatia as he had no
symptoms. He took the test straight after his flight landed
in Belgrade.
"Around 100 people were tested and I was hard-hit by
news that some of them came back positive, especially my
childhood friend Borna Coric. We wish all of them a
speedy and painless recovery."
Troicki did not play at last weekend’s event in Zadar, but
joined Djokovic in Belgrade where he played in the first
leg on 13 and 14 June.



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