Novak Djokovic's COVID-19 test result leads to cancellation of entire Adria Tour
Novak Djokovic has caused a storm in the tennis world over the last few days. He has been hosting and organizing the controversial Adria Tour, whose second leg came to a grinding halt on Sunday as Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov and Croatian star Borna Coric both tested positive for COVID-19.
t very night, the rest of the players - including the likes of Alexander Zverev, Marin Cilic, Andrey Rublev, and Donna Vekic - all got tested in Zadar, Croatia. However, Novak Djokovic saw fit to cross borders and go back to Belgrade without getting tested.
Early on Tuesday, it emerged that both Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena were positive for the disease. In a detailed statement released after the news broke, the Serb apologized to all the players who had tested positive but defended the tour, claiming that the event was founded on humanitarian grounds.
After the Serb tested positive, the organisers of the Adria Tour officially cancelled the remainder of the event. That means the final leg, which was to be contested in Banja Luka and Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been called off.
The most important thing now is to stabilise the epidemiological situation: Novak Djokovic's brother Djordje
As per Sportklub, Novak Djokovic's brother Djordje, who is the director of the tour, spoke to the members of the press to officially announce the cancellation. Djordje also extended a heartfelt apology to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"We are extremely sorry that we have to stop organizing tennis tournaments in Banja Luka and Sarajevo," Djordje said. "We were happy that the audience that had been waiting for top aces for many years will finally see Novak Djokovic and other tennis players live, and that playing in these cities would enable sports promotion and financial support for local players. Unfortunately, due to all the events of the last few days, we have decided that the most important thing now is to stabilize the epidemiological situation, as well as for everyone to recover."
"We thank all the participants from the Tennis Association of Republika Srpska, the city of Sarajevo, all those who worked hard in the previous days to prepare for these events," he added. "We appreciate that and remain friends, and we hope to implement our idea as soon as the conditions are right."
The tournament director further went on to remind members of the press as well as fans of the sport that the tour was held with a humanitarian motive, and that Novak Djokovic and his team would continue to try and provide help to those that need it most.
"We now remain focused on supporting all those who have been infected with the Covid 19 virus with the desire to recover as soon as possible," said Djordje.