Novak Djokovic tests positive for Covid-19 amid Adria Tour fiasco

[MenInG]

Tennis star Novak Djokovic says it would be "impossible" to play under the safety restrictions proposed to ensure the US Open could take place behind closed doors.

The Grand Slam tournament is scheduled to start on 31 August in New York.

Djokovic, the men's world number one, said he had discussed the event's future with organisers.

"The rules they told us that we would have to respect to be there, to play at all, they are extreme," said the Serb.

"We would not have access to Manhattan, we would have to sleep in hotels at the airport, to be tested twice or three times per week.

"Also, we could bring one person to the club which is really impossible. You need your coach, then a fitness trainer, then a physiotherapist."

 

[MenInG]

Djokovic tennis event gets flak over coronavirus fear

A charity tennis event organised by men's top-ranked player Novak Djokovic that drew big crowds over the weekend has sparked criticism for its lack of safety precautions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Thousands of fans were seated closely inside the stadium and without face masks as top players were seen giving high fives and hugging on court in the Serbian capital, Belgrade.

 

[MenInG]

Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov, who played in both of Novak Djokovic's recent Adria Tour events, says he has tested positive for coronavirus.

Dimitrov, 29, withdrew from the second tournament in Zadar, Croatia on Saturday with sickness after his opening loss to Borna Coric.

The world number 19 also played in the first event in Belgrade last week.

In a statement on Instagram, Dimitrov wrote: "I am so sorry for any harm I might have caused."

He added: "I tested positive back in Monaco for Covid-19. I want to make sure anyone who has been in contact with me during these past days gets tested and takes the necessary precautions.

"I am back home now and recovering. Thanks for your support and please stay safe and healthy."

 

[MenInG]

Following world No.19 Gregor Dimitrov's withdrawal from the Adria Tour tournament due to his positive Covid-19 test, a second player has now tested positive.

Dimitrov, 29, pulled out of the tournament in Zadar, Croatia, on Saturday with sickness after losing to 23-year-old Borna Coric, who played again on Sunday.

Now, Coric has revealed he too has Covid-19, albeit without any symptoms.

With Croatia easing lockdown measures before the event, players were not obliged to observe social distancing rules and were seen embracing at the net at the end of their matches.

 

[MenInG]

British men's number one Dan Evans says Novak Djokovic should "feel some responsibility" after Grigor Dimitrov and Borna Coric tested positive for Covid-19 at his Adria Tour event.

Bulgaria's Dimitrov played Croatia's Coric on Saturday in the second leg of the world number one's event in Zadar.

Andy Murray says it has been a "lesson for us all", while Nick Kyrgios says it was a "bone-headed decision" to play.

"I just think it's a poor example to set," said Evans.

Serbia's Djokovic is currently waiting to hear the results of his test, which was carried out earlier on Monday.

'Grand Slams are my priority' - fit-again Murray targets US and French Opens
"Once you start having mass gatherings with people coming in from all sorts of countries, it's a recipe for it to kick off," Murray said, as he prepares for this week's Schroders Battle of the Brits.

"So it's kind of a lesson for all of us - if we weren't already - to take this extremely seriously, and to have as many safety measures in place as possible."

With Croatia easing lockdown measures before the event, players were not obliged to observe social distancing rules and were seen embracing at the net at the end of their matches.

Pictures on the tournament's social media site from Friday showed Dimitrov playing basketball with Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Marin Cilic, while he also put his arm around Coric before their match.

Zverev, Cilic and Andrey Rublev, who also played, have tested negative, but suggested they will all now self-isolate for up to 14 days.

Evans, 30, thinks Djokovic - who is president of the ATP Player Council - has some questions to answer.

"Put it this way, I don't think you should be having a players' party and then dancing all over each other," Evans said.

"He should feel some responsibility in his event and how it's transpired."

The first leg of the tour in Serbia attracted 4,000 fans, and concluded with players dancing close together in a Belgrade nightclub.

"Running exhibitions is good," Evans continued. "But even if the guidelines in that country are not two metres, it's not a joke, is it?

"Even if the guidelines were taken away in this country to normal, I'd still be trying to keep myself out of the way as much as I could from other people.

"I just think there's been a total disregard to that, really, and it's very unfortunate Grigor has it, Coric has it. I hope there's no second guessing on the US Open now, because of some unfortunate events."

The US Open will be held without fans from 31 August to 13 September, despite some players voicing concerns about travelling to New York.

The Battle of the Brits will also take place behind closed doors in London from Tuesday. Jamie Murray, who is fronting the event, accepts he will now face even greater scrutiny.

"From our point of view, we're obviously doing everything we can to limit that from happening," he said.

"We know there will probably be a few more eyes on us after what happened to the Adria Tour, so everyone's got to be on top of their game when it comes to social distancing."

The organisers of the Adria Tour say Sunday's final in Zadar was cancelled "as a precaution and to protect the health of all participants and visitors".

A statement read: "At all times we have strictly followed the epidemiological measures in place with the countries where the Adria Tour was organised."

The ATP, the governing body of men's tennis, said it "continues to urge strict adherence to responsible social distancing and health and safety guidelines to contain the spread of the virus".

It added: "In planning for the resumption of the ATP Tour season from 14 August, ATP and other stakeholders have made exhaustive plans to mitigate risks through a variety of precautions and protocols to be implemented at ATP events."

 

[MenInG]

 

[raashidkhan89079]

Novak Djokovic tests positive for COVID-19

Tennis star Novak Djokovic tested positive for coronavirus
May you recover soon from this virus

 

[Abdullah719]

“A Freak Show” – Five-Time Grand Slam Champion Slams Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour

The Adria Tour and Novak Djokovic have been receiving flak from left to right. Almost everyone has criticized the Serbian for conducting the tour during such a tough time. And after the news of positive tests of Grigor Dimitrov and Borna Coric, it has increased people’s anger against the world No.1.

Bruno Soares, a 5 time doubles grand slam champion slammed Djokovic and Adria Tour organizers. The Brazilian was angry with the timing of the tour and the players’ antics after the tour matches. In a video Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, and Grigor Dimitrov were seen partying at a nightclub in Serbia. Any care for social distancing or precaution was totally out of context.

“The summary of that for me is Freak Show.” said the Brazilian on the podcast Match Point.

“In a worldwide situation that, no matter how good you are, even if it’s in the North Pole, with no case, you won’t go out partying, music show, crowding, and posting on Instagram.” He added

Bruno is eyeing the resumption of tennis but feels that this ‘ horror show’ by Djokovic could cause panic among people.

“This event of theirs, although it was a completely different thing from what is going to be held in the United States, is causing a bit of general panic,” he said.

Djokovic is also the president of the ATP players council. Soares is also a member and feels that Djokovic should be more responsible than he is now. The Serb did not attend a meeting that involved more than a hundred tennis players. The meeting was to sort out the details of the resuming season but the Serbian was busy attending a football match in Serbia.

And Bruno Soares also hopes that safety measures would be opposite when tennis resumes in the US. As the tour was Djokovic’s endeavor, it shouldn’t affect the ATP tournaments.

“It falls on him as a person, the ATP has nothing to do with it there. He organized the event on his own.” He said.

Throughout this whole mess, Djokovic has maintained a defensive stand. He has said that the Adria Tour happened with the country’s regulation. But since then it has been a different story.

https://www.essentiallysports.com/a...-novak-djokovic-s-adria-tour-atp-tennis-news/

 

[Markhor]

He's an idiot.

He organised the tournaments in Serbia and Croatia, and threw a massive afterparty as well. As you'd expect there was no social distancing going on.

In addition, he's an antivaxxer and his wife spread this 5G conspiracy theory too.

Karma is a...

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Seems like Djokavic has been living on a different planet for the last few months to the rest of us.

 

[pakistani pride]

He's an idiot.

He organised the tournaments in Serbia and Croatia, and threw a massive afterparty as well. As you'd expect there was no social distancing going on.

In addition, he's an antivaxxer and his wife spread this 5G conspiracy theory too.

Karma is a...

Well not really.
Most probably he wont even notice he has the virus....

 

[KingKhanWC]

He's an idiot.

He organised the tournaments in Serbia and Croatia, and threw a massive afterparty as well. As you'd expect there was no social distancing going on.

In addition, he's an antivaxxer and his wife spread this 5G conspiracy theory too.

Karma is a...

He will feel more poorly from a insect bite.

These athletes are the fittest humans on the planet, this virus has no effect on them unless they have a rare immune system disease.

Why should he waste his life knowing this isn't an issue for him?

 

[KingKhanWC]

Seems like Djokavic has been living on a different planet for the last few months to the rest of us.

Yes, it's called Planet Reality not Planet Planet buffon Boris.

The man has a brain, its those who follow the likes of Boris and Trump who need to come back down to Earth.

 

[Zaz]

He will feel more poorly from a insect bite.

These athletes are the fittest humans on the planet, this virus has no effect on them unless they have a rare immune system disease.

Why should he waste his life knowing this isn't an issue for him?

Its not just about him Its others He could be passing this onto others who arent as fit or young as him

Hes been totally irresponsible and rightly is getting deserved flak for this

 

[Abdullah719]

He will feel more poorly from a insect bite.

These athletes are the fittest humans on the planet, this virus has no effect on them unless they have a rare immune system disease.

Why should he waste his life knowing this isn't an issue for him?

It may not be an issue for him but it could be an issue for people around him and people who he comes in contact with if he ends up passing the virus on to them.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Its not just about him Its others He could be passing this onto others who arent as fit or young as him

Hes been totally irresponsible and rightly is getting deserved flak for this

It may not be an issue for him but it could be an issue for people around him and people who he comes in contact with if he ends up passing the virus on to them.

If they are at risk, they should stay home or away. If they are young and healthy , even infected no issue. Not his fault what happens to others if they choose to be out.

 

[Markhor]

He will feel more poorly from a insect bite.

These athletes are the fittest humans on the planet, this virus has no effect on them unless they have a rare immune system disease.

Why should he waste his life knowing this isn't an issue for him?

It may not be an issue for him, but it will be an issue for those he's come into contact with who are elderly, immunosuppressed or have underlying conditions. That's why he was extremely selfish to organise a tournament and throw a party like that against all guidelines.

 

[Giannis]

These guys are idiots

 

[Slog]

If they are at risk, they should stay home or away. If they are young and healthy , even infected no issue. Not his fault what happens to others if they choose to be out.

What about his elderly parents? He’s putting them at risk when he meets them

 

[Zaz]

If they are at risk, they should stay home or away. If they are young and healthy , even infected no issue. Not his fault what happens to others if they choose to be out.

Yes im sure he wont feel one ounce of guilt and it will be their fault if god forbid his parents or someone close to him got seriously ill from him

 

[Abdullah719]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Prayers up to all the players that have contracted Covid - 19. Don’t @ me for anything I’ve done that has been ‘irresponsible’ or classified as ‘stupidity’ - this takes the cake. <a href="https://t.co/lVligELgID">https://t.co/lVligELgID</a></p>— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) <a href="https://twitter.com/NickKyrgios/status/1275408778087657473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[sweep_shot]

Get well soon, Novak.

 

[Abdullah719]

Novak Djokovic’s parents defend their son, blame Grigor Dimitrov for coronavirus

Novak Djokovic’s parents defended their son on Wednesday and blamed another tennis player for spreading the coronavirus at a series of exhibition matches hosted by the top-ranked player.

Djokovic and his wife tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. The 17-time Grand Slam champion then apologized online for organizing the Adria Tour events, which brought together professional players from various countries to play matches in Serbia and Croatia.

Thousands of spectators attended the matches and no social distancing was observed.

Djokovic’s outspoken father blamed the cancellation of the tour on Grigor Dimitrov, one of the three other players to test positive in the last few days. There is no evidence to suggest Dimitrov spread the virus to others.

“Why did it happen? Because that man probably came sick, who knows from where,” Srdjan Djokovic told RTL Croatia TV. “He didn’t test here, he tested somewhere else … I think that’s not fair.

“He inflicted damage to both Croatia and to us as a family in Serbia,” Srdjan Djokovic said. “Nobody is feeling well because of this situation.”

Dimitrov, a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist from Bulgaria, was the first Adria Tour participant to test positive for the virus. He was followed by Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki.

The infections raised questions about the full-fledged return of competitive tennis, including the scheduled U.S. Open in August.

“We were wrong and it was too soon,” wrote Djokovic, who has previously said he was against taking a vaccine for the virus even if it became mandatory to travel.

Dimitrov played in matches in both Belgrade and at the Croatian Adriatic resort of Zadar. He reportedly arrived in Serbia from the United States and his native Bulgaria. He did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment while recovering from the infection in Monaco.

NBA player Nikola Jokic, a Serb who plays for the Denver Nuggets, has also tested positive for the coronavirus. He was pictured shaking hands with Djokovic at an exhibition basketball event in Belgrade this month.

Jokic is reportedly recovering in his hometown of Sombor.

Djokovic’s mother said both her son and his wife Jelena are feeling fine, but are suffering because of the widespread criticism.

“It is horrible what is being written, but we are used to it,” Dijana Djokovic told the Belgrade Blic daily newspaper.

The coronavirus outbreak led to the suspension of the ATP and WTA professional tennis tours in March. Plans were announced last week for the sport’s sanctioned events to return in August.

The U.S. Open is scheduled to begin Aug. 31 without spectators.

https://indianexpress.com/article/s...lame-grigor-dimitrov-for-coronavirus-6474560/

 

[MenInG]

On Tuesday, world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic admitted it had been "too soon" to organise a tennis competition after he became the fourth player on the Adria Tour to test positive for coronavirus.

Now his coach, former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, has also tested positive for the virus.

The 48-year-old Croat said he is "feeling good" and has no symptoms, but said he would continue to self-isolate. He urged people he had been in contact with recently to "take extra care".

Despite Djokovic saying the competition "met all health protocols" in Serbia and Croatia where it was held, the player faced criticism for holding the tournament in front of fans and without social distancing rules being observed.

 

[Abdullah719]

Nick Kyrgios and Boris Becker in Twitter fight after Alexander Zverev's 'partying'

Boris Becker called Nick Kyrgios a "rat". Kyrgios said Becker was a "doughnut".

After three months of next to no play because of coronavirus and in the week Wimbledon should have been starting, everyone is perhaps just getting a bit tetchy in the tennis world.

It showed when Becker and Kyrgios engaged in a war of words on Twitter on Tuesday morning, with Becker apparently taking offence at Kyrgios' criticism of Alexander Zverev.

Earlier this week, Kyrgios said world number seven Zverev was "selfish" after a video emerged of Becker's fellow German apparently partying despite saying he was self-isolating having been in close contact with several infected players.

Zverev played at Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour after which a number of players, including world number one Djokovic, tested positive for coronavirus.

Spoiler

In an expletive-packed rant he posted on social media, Kyrgios said Zverev should "at least have the audacity [sic] to stay inside for 14 days".

But it appears six-time Grand Slam champion Becker wasn't too impressed with the Australian.

Here's how it all unfolded:

Becker: "Don't like no #rats ! Anybody telling off fellow sportsman/woman is no friend of mine! Look yourself in the mirror and think you're better than us.. [MENTION=43000]Nick[/MENTION]Kyrgios"

Kyrgios: "For goodness sake Boris, I'm not competing or trying to throw anyone under the bus. It's a global pandemic and if someone is as idiotic as Alex to do what he has done, I'll call him out for it. Simple."

Becker: "We all live in the pandemic called Covid-19! It's terrible and it killed too many lives...we should protect our families/loved ones and follow the guidelines but still don't like #rats."

Kyrgios: "Rats? For holding someone accountable? Strange way to think of it champion, I'm just looking out for people. WHEN my family and families all over the world have respectfully done the right thing. And you have a goose waving his arms around, imma say something."

"@TheBorisBecker is a bigger doughnut than I thought. Can hit a volley, obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed though."

The video of Zverev apparently partying was posted on Instagram by German designer Philipp Plein and later deleted. There was no indication when the video was taken.

It's not the first time that Kyrgios - so often depicted as tennis' 'bad boy' - has spoken out during the coronavirus lockdown.

In May, he said the United States Tennis Association was being "selfish" by planning to stage the US Open from 31 August.

"I'll get my hazmat suit ready for when I travel from Australia and then have to quarantine for two weeks on my return," he said.

He then criticised Djokovic's decision to run the Adria Tour amid the pandemic as "bone-headed".

But back to Tuesday morning, and Becker wasn't finished just yet. He went even more personal, urging Kyrgios to "fulfil his potential" on court.

"I really would like to see [MENTION=43000]Nick[/MENTION]Kyrgios fulfil his potential and win a Grand Slam!" he said.

"He would be an incredible role model for for the youth of the world addressing the issues of equality/race/heritage!

"Man up buddy and deliver!"

https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/53234886

 

[Abdullah719]

‘Djokovic event lacked common sense’

MUMBAI: Novak Djokovic's intentions in organising the ill-fated Adria Tour were good but the world number one could have applied a bit more common sense to how the exhibition event was run, former ATP players' council head Vijay Amritraj has told Reuters.

The Serbian has faced fierce criticism after he, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki contracted Covid-19 following the charity event in Serbia and Croatia.

Indian Amritraj told Reuters that while the world number one's intentions were "absolutely correct", and that he had followed local government protocols, he should have went the extra mile to ensure the health and safety of everyone involved.

Spoiler

"In hindsight, yes, obviously he could have taken a lot more precautions before running the event," the 66-year-old television pundit told Reuters by telephone from Los Angeles.

"In spite of certain local government mandates, I think it is critical to follow some common sense."

Djokovic has apologised and admitted it was probably "too soon" to run the event, which was played in front of packed stands in Belgrade.

Huge responsibility

Amritraj, who reached a career-high ranking of 18 and beat Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver and Jimmy Connors in his playing career, thought the tournament would have been good for tennis as it would bring the sport back on television.

"As days progressed, I realised that they were going to put about 1,000 people in a stadium and I really didn't know how big the stadium was," he added.

"And later on ... after finding out that the event itself had pretty much a full house from the perspective of fans and none of this social distancing, masks, all of that were even in play, it became very much more of a concern."

Djokovic also heads up the players council on the ATP Tour and Amritraj, who held the same post for four terms from 1989, said it came with a "huge" responsibility.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2252780/djokovic-event-lacked-common-sense

 

[MenInG]

Novak and Jelena Djokovic test negative

Tennis player Novak Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, have tested negative for the coronavirus ten days after announcing they had contracted the disease.

"Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena are negative for COVID-19. That was shown by the results of the PCR tests that both had in Belgrade," his media team said in a statement.

The top-ranked player tested positive for the virus after playing in an exhibition series he organized in Serbia and Croatia amid the pandemic.

Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki also contracted the virus after playing in the same matches.