"I'm the most 'negative' guy on tour" - Dominic Thiem
Dominic Thiem has not been a popular figure among tennis media and fans over the past few days. The World No. 3 has been under relentless criticism on social media for continuing with his travel schedule unaltered despite being a part of the much maligned Adria Tour.
That said, Thiem has tested negative for coronavirus several times since leaving Belgrade. And the Austrian ace has managed to see the funny side in all the criticism, even cracking a joke about being the "most negative player on tour" with reference to his repeated negative tests.
Dominic Thiem has tested negative as many as six times since he was last in contact with the Adria Tour contagion, in Belgrade. But given the nature of the virus and the number of false negatives seen over the course of the pandemic, experts believe Thiem needs to self-isolate anyway in order to minimize the risk of spreading the virus.
The risks around Dominic Thiem in the wake of Goran Ivanisevic's positive test
Ever since Novak Djokovic's coach Goran Ivanisevic announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 after previously testing negative twice, the pressure on Dominic Thiem has been mounting. But the Austrian seems to have convinced himself that he is doing the right thing by testing every second day - as the ATP protocols require - while continuing with his schedule.
Currently in Nice, playing at Patrick Mouratoglou's Ultimate Tennis Showdown, Thiem seemed relaxed during his match against Belgian David Goffin.
"It was a pretty emotional last week, as everybody knows," Thiem said. "So it's good to here, relaxed."
Dominic Thiem was, of course, referring to the ruckus caused last week by Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour, where four tennis players - including Djokovic himself and a bunch of other staff - tested positive for coronavirus.
Thiem then proceeded to make a rather dark joke about his situation with respect to the testing for COVID-19.
"I think I'm the most negative guy on tour," he said.
While that seemed like a spur-of-the-moment comment, it hasn't gone down too well with the tennis community. Many fans believe COVID-19 testing is not something to joke about considering the events that transpired last week, and have urged Thiem to take their pleas seriously and self-isolate.
A few fans called Thiem out for his glib comment while others wished that this doesn't blow up in his face, like Goran Ivanisevic's earlier flippant comments did.
A few even thought Thiem sounded too entitled, and that his comment was distasteful given that he is speaking from a position of privilege.
Despite continuous criticism from fans, Dominic Thiem seems undeterred about his schedule; it doesn't look like he plans to change it in any way.
For now, it is a relief to know that Thiem has been testing negative repeatedly. Moreover, the period of 14 days since the Austrian was last in contact with the Belgrade contagion - 15 June will be over soon.
However, nothing can be said for sure with this virus, and if Dominic Thiem does test positive in the near future, he can only pray that tennis fans go easy on him. Considering the backlash faced by Novak Djokovic recently, that might be asking for too much.