'Tiafoe is positive, & the tournament continues normally' - ATP pro claims Novak Djokovic is a victim of double standards
Novak Djokovic has been hounded by fans and members of the media across the past few weeks over his ill-timed Adria Tour. The tour, hosted and funded by members of Novak Djokovic's family, came to a grinding halt after World No. 19 Grigor Dimitrov tested positive for COVID-19 in Zadar, Croatia.
Things went from bad to worse after Borna Coric, Viktor Troicki and Djokovic himself all tested positive for the virus. Later, Zadar tournament director and former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic also confirmed he had been infected.
By then, Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour had already completed its first leg in the Serb's hometown of Belgrade. The event was intensely scrutinized from the get-go for its lack of social distancing measures; there were maximum capacity crowds in stadiums and at one point, the players were even seen dancing at a nightclub with their shirts off.
Since then, many in the tennis world have heavily criticized the Serb for his lack of responsibility and concern - not only as host, but also as World No. 1. The select few that have come to his defence are either related to the tournament or hail from the Balkans themselves.
One such voice is Djokovic's compatriot Nikola Cacic, who has blamed outside voices for their bias against Serbians. Cacic believes the media were waiting to pounce on Novak Djokovic the moment he showed any weakness.
Serbia is in support of Novak Djokovic: Nikola Cacic
As per SportKlub, Cacic spoke at length about the Adria Tour and how the people of the Balkans region, especially hailing from Serbia, do not think Novak Djokovic is guilty of anything.
"I think that a lot has already been said about that," said Cacic. "Our tennis players are, of course, on Nole's side."
"What he did was a great thing for tennis. With a pure heart, he wanted to help the players, who need help the most at this moment. If he had known in advance what would happen, he probably would not have organized the tournament. But what happened happened, unfortunately. Nole is not guilty at all," Cacic added.
Cacic, who was one of Novak Djokovic's teammates during Serbia's triumph at the ATP Cup, further went on to talk about how the double standards of the western media.
"When it comes to Adria Tour, it is as if they could hardly wait for something like that to happen, so that Novak could be attacked and condemned," said Cacic. "Tiafoe is positive, and the tournament continues and is held normally."
Frances Tiafoe tested positive for COVID-19 at an exhibition tournament in Atlanta, but the event continued after the American withdrew. Some believe that the incident could have potentially put the US Open in jeopardy, and Cacic is surprised at the lack of furor over the incident.
"I don't have much experience with foreign journalists, but I listen to my tennis colleagues a lot and it seems to me that foreign journalists have something against it and that they are sorry that we from a small country are so good and rule world tennis," Cacic added.