Berlin event featuring Dominic Thiem to have spectators despite Adria Tour controversy
Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem and Co kicked up quite a storm after the ill-timed Adria Tour ended abruptly with Grigor Dimitrov's positive test for COVID-19. It later emerged that three other players - Borna Coric, Viktor Troicki and Novak Djokovic himself - had also contracted the virus.
The tour, hosted by Novak Djokovic and his family, was controversial from the get-go. There were full stands, lack of visible social distancing norms, packed press meets and at one point even shirtless nightclub dancing, which made many (correctly) predict that a coronavirus attack was inevitable.
All the players have issued apologies since the debacle, including Dominic Thiem. The Austrian, who picked up the trophy in the first leg of the tour in Belgrade, expressed profuse regret for his actions via his Instagram account.
However, Thiem has done himself no favors with the public over the last week. Despite many fans asking him to self-isolate, the Austrian has carried on with his packed schedule of exhibition tournaments.
Dominic Thiem is also scheduled to play in Berlin at the end of July, and that event is already attracting controversy.
It has been reported that there are going to be spectators in Berlin, despite what happened at the Adria Tour. Up to 800 fans will be allowed during the outdoor event which is to be held in mid-July in the German capital.
As per Ubitennis, the director of the tournament, Edwin Weindorfer, said:
"Since the world of tennis will be looking toward Berlin and the tournaments, the participants and all of the staff must be conscious of their status as role models."
The tournament features a star-studded lineup including hometown favourite Alexander Zverev, Nick Kyrgios, 2019 Next Gen Finals champion Jannik Sinner, Elena Svitolina, Petra Kvitova, and many more.
Dominic Thiem continues busy schedule amid Adria Tour debacle
Dominic Thiem and the Adria Tour have experienced the wrath of a long list of critics ever since the coronavirus disaster unfolded. And Novak Djokovic, who was responsible for getting the whole event organised, has received the bulk of the heat.
Things have gone from bad to worse since then, as Zadar tournament director Goran Ivanisevic (who is also Djokovic's coach) tested positive for coronavirus despite his claim of testing negative multiple times before.
Alexander Zverev, who was present at the Adria Tour, added fuel to the fire after he was seen at a party with a packed crowd on Instagram.
The German, who is yet to release a statement after that news broke, is also set to play with Dominic Thiem in Berlin.
These circumstances have got people questioning Thiem's decision to continue with his schedule instead of self-isolating for an appropriate amount of time. After the Adria Tour, Thiem first finished the Austrian Pro Series before contesting in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in France. He has practically been crossing borders every second day, thus potentially putting a slew of people at risk.
Thiem is now set to host his own invitational event called "Thiem's 7" in Kitzbuhel, from July 7th to July 11th, before going to Berlin. His fans would be hoping he continues testing negative for the virus, so that the spectators in the German capital remain safe.