Novak Djokovic has done a disservice to the tennis world, says top German tennis official
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour has become the talking point of the entire tennis community after the players and officials in the competition tested positive for COVID-19.
The tour had got off a dream start in Belgrade, where fans came out in large numbers to enjoy the sport. The players even celebrated their success with a wild party in a local night club.
Novak Djokovic and his associates would have expected the same scenes to repeat in Zadar, but unfortunately, coronavirus ruined their plans. Four tennis players, namely Djokovic himself, Grigor Dimitrov, Viktor Troicki and Borna Coric, have tested positive. Besides, Djokovic's fitness coach Marko Panichi has also come in contact with the virus.
As reported by Eurosport, the Head of Women's Tennis at the German Tennis Federation, Barbara Rittner, has slammed the 2020 Australian Open winner for his 'disservice' to the tennis world.
I don't understand what world they live in: Rittner calls out Novak Djokovic and co
Barbara Rittner, who retired from professional tennis in 2005, feels that the Adria Tour was an absolute catastrophe for all the participating tennis players.
"It is an absolute catastrophe for the entire tennis family. I don't understand what world they live in. Some of them probably have their success gone to their heads," the 47-year-old said.
She opined that the Serbian star Novak Djokovic could no longer argue that they had complied with all the rules and regulations laid down by the government. Rittner even lashed out at the players who were seen dancing in the night club last weekend in Serbia.
"In my opinion, even a Novak Djokovic cannot hide behind the fact that they say that they have complied with the prescribed regulations. Obviously, there were no proper regulations. The whole world keeps its distance and wears masks. And on the Adria Tour, you sat shoulder to shoulder without masks, celebrated at night, and lay in your arms without your shirts," she continued.
Rittner signed off by saying that Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour has only brought disrepute to the tennis community at large.
"Djokovic has done a disservice to the tennis world," she concluded.
Novak Djokovic has returned to Serbia, and now there is a massive question mark over the Bosnia leg of the Adria Tour, that was initially scheduled to happen this weekend.