Novak Djokovic is not the real culprit, says Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Novak Djokovic has received a lot of flak from players, tennis experts and fans over the last couple of weeks. The Serb's Adria Tour, which was organized with no COVID-19 protocols in place, became a hotspot for the virus and raised serious concerns about the return of the sport.
However, there have been a few high-profile names that have defended Djokovic too. And Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has emerged as the latest player to come out in support of the beleaguered Serb.
In an interaction with L'Equipe, the 2008 Australian Open runner-up said that Novak Djokovic is not entirely to blame for the Adria Tour fiasco. The Frenchman asserted that the exhibition tournament only went ahead after receiving the necessary approvals from the relevant authorities.
“If he was able to organise this tournament, it was because he had all the authorisations," Tsonga said.
After the first leg of the Adria Tour in Belgrade concluded without any untoward incident, the exhibition tournament ran into rough weather during its next stop in Zadar, Croatia.
Grigor Dimitov, Borna Coric, Viktor Troicki and Novak Djokovic himself tested positive for COVID-19, leading to the cancellation of the Adria Tour. Predictably, the World No. 1 attracted the bulk of the criticism for organizing the tournament.
But Tsonga, like a few others before him, feels that the extent of the backlash towards Djokovic is unfair.
Novak Djokovic may have thought he was doing well: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Continuing his observations about Novak Djokovic following the Serb's ill-fated Adria Tour, Tsonga said that the Serb may have had misplaced confidence in organising such a tournament in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Serbian and Croatian governments apparently underestimated the threat of COVID-19 and relaxed social distancing norms and other safety protocols. That eventually proved to be the Adria Tour's undoing despite its noble intentions.
In this regard, the 35-year-old Frenchman said that Novak Djokovic was not the biggest culprit behind the Adria Tour fiasco.
"There may have been an excess of confidence but Djokovic is not the real culprit. He thought he was doing well," Tsonga said.
Over the last few days, other players like Gilles Simon, Pierre-Hugues Herbert, Garbine Muguruza and Filip Krajinovic have also publicly spoken in favor of Novak Djokovic. Gilles Simon in particular said that Novak Djokovic has faced criticism from people with vested interests.
"There are a bunch of people who are very happy to weaken Djokovic because it takes up space. They will accuse Djokovic by saying that it is entirely his fault and that it will be better organised on their side. Because they don't want this thing to affect their tournament. It is not trivial, it does not happen by chance," Simon said.