Novak Djokovic and wife Jelena test negative for COVID-19
Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena Djokovic have returned negative in their latest COVID-19 test. The news comes a week after the duo tested positive on returning to Serbia from the second leg of the Adria Tour in Zadar, Croatia.
As reported by the Serbian newspaper Blic, in their second PCR test for COVID-19 which the duo undertook on 1 July, both Novak Djokovic and Jelena Djokovic tested negative for the virus that has wreaked havoc all across the globe.
This should come as a modicum of relief for the embattled World No. 1. Novak Djokovic has borne the brunt of criticism from players, tennis experts and fans for his ill-fated Adria Tour where four tennis players, including himself, tested positive for COVID-19 - leading to the cancellation of the exhibition tournament.
Novak Djokovic's team released the following statement in the aftermath of the 33-year-old and his wife testing negative for COVID-19 in their second tests.
"Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena tested negative for Covid-19. This was shown by the latest results of the PCR test they both did in Belgrade. Novak and Jelena did not feel any symptoms of the virus, and they did the test by prior arrangement with doctors. Since returning from Zadar, the Djokovics have spent time in self-isolation, following all protocols and security measures related to Covid-19."
Novak Djokovic was lambasted for having no COVID-19 protocols at his Adria Tour
Novak Djokovic had organised the Adria Tour, a series of exhibition matches in the Balkan nations, to aid in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The tournament featured himself, Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and Grigor Dimitrov among other stars.
However, there were lax safety protocols in place at the tournament, which led to several raised eyebrows. The matches were played to full houses, and players hugged and shook hands with each other and even attended an infamous shirtless party.
Although the first leg of the Adria Tour in Belgrade concluded without any incidents, the second leg of the Tour in Zadar ran into rough weather. Grigor Dimitrov, followed by Borna Coric, Viktor Troicki and then Novak Djokovic, tested positive for COVID-19, forcing the cancellation of the exhibition tournament.
A plethora of active and retired players like Nick Kyrgios, Andy Murray, Milos Raonic, Andy Roddick and Vijay Amritraj slammed Novak Djokovic for organising a 'reckless' event at a time when the threat posed by the dreaded virus has not completely abated.
But a few other players like Gilles Simon, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Filip Krajinovic came out in support of the beleaguered Serb, saying that he was not completely to blame for the debacle.
The event only went ahead after receiving approval from the Serbian and Croatian governments, which apparently had underestimated the COVID-19 situation. Nevertheless, the spate of positive COVID-19 cases among players at the Adria Tour was the kind of negative publicity the sport could have done without, as professional tennis is slated to resume next month in North America.