Famous tennis player Djokovic tests positive for COVID-19

BELGRADE: The men’s world number one tennis player, Novak Djokovic has tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday after Adria Tour.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday, “The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested,” Djokovic said. He further said that he was not showing any symptoms. “My result is positive, just as Jelena’s (wife), while the results of our children are negative”.

“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 added.

Reports disclosed that several individuals had also contracted the virus after playing in an exhibition tournament organized in Serbia and Croatia by Djokovic.

Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria, Croatia’s Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki have previously tested positive after playing in Djokovic’s Adria Tour exhibition tournament in the Balkan region. Djokovic’s fitness coach Marco Panichi and Dimitrov’s coach Christian Groh have also tested positive.

The organizers of the event said that the remainder of the Adria Tour had been cancelled, the two-day event on July 3-4 in Banja Luka, Bosnia and the planned exhibition match with Bosnian Damir Dzumhur in Sarajevo on July 5.

Aside from the ‘why go back to Belgrade?’ question, this statement leaves many others unanswered, including:

What measures have been taken to support/test the thousands that the event brought together, particularly at close quarters, with no masks or social distancing ? https://t.co/D0CQk3WmhC

— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) June 23, 2020

Serbia has 13,092 registered cases and 263 dead due to the COVID-19 epidemic however both Serbia and Croatia eased lockdown steps weeks before the tournament and players were not obliged to observe social distancing rules in either country.

The tournament witnessed packed stands during the opening leg in Belgrade, players hugging at the net, playing basketball, posing for pictures and attending press conferences together.

Djokovic, 33, organized nights out in Belgrade for the players and pictures and videos of him dancing with the other participants at his event were posted on social media.