Viktor Troicki claims he contracted COVID-19 in India, much before Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour
Amid the coronavirus blowout at Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour, the World No. 1's friend and fellow Serb Viktor Troicki had announced that he and his wife had tested positive for COVID-19 during the Belgrade leg. Both Djokovic and Troicki have since recovered fully, but Troicki has now made some curious claims about his first brush with the virus.
Troicki believes he contracted coronavirus in India, back in February - long before he actually tested positive at Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour.
Viktor Troicki visited India earlier in the year for the Maharashtra Open, held in the city of Pune. The Serb came through through the qualifiers and then beat home favorite Sumit Nagal in the opening round of the main draw.
But after the match Troicki started feeling under the weather, and his condition worsened over the following two days. That led the World No. 184 to withdraw from his Round of 16 encounter against Japanese player Yuichi Sugita.
Speaking on the "Wish & Go" podcast of Serbian channel 'SportKlub', Troicki claimed that the India visit was probably when he contracted the dreaded virus, long before Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour.
I was lying in the hotel bed for seven days: Viktor Troicki
Troicki asserted he had before never felt as unhealthy as he did in Pune, and that all the symptoms he showed at the time were characteristic of coronavirus. But the former World No. 12 didn't get tested as the virus was still relatively unknown back then, and its spread was seemingly restricted to China and South Korea.
"I think I contracted the coronavirus in India in early February," Troicki said. "I handed over the match of the second round. I never had that feeling in my life. I was in bed for seven days, I didn’t taste anything, I was falling apart completely. At that time, the virus was not officially spread in all territories, but I had all the symptoms."
Troicki then elaborated further on his distressing experience, saying that despite withdrawing from the tournament early he couldn't get out of his bed and fly back home. Troicki had to stay in his hotel room for seven days due to weakness, and could travel only after the tournament finalists had flown back home.
"It was really nasty," Troicki said. "I was lying in bed, I was motionless. On Tuesday, I handed over the second round match with Sugita. I had to go to the club (to officially announce withdrawal), although I didn't even know how I got there. I handed in and from Tuesday to Sunday the finalists finished the tournament and headed to the airport, and I was still lying in the hotel. I couldn't go anywhere, it was hard for me."
Troicki went on to add that the symptoms he experienced in India were far more severe than what he did he experienced at Novak Djokovic's event.
"I had stronger symptoms then, and this time, thankfully, it wasn't terrible. I waited to do another test, my wife and I recovered and we have been functioning normally for two weeks now."
Did Troicki contract coronavirus for a second time at Novak Djokovic's event?
Viktor Troicki's story might seem a bit suspect on the surface, as scientists haven't yet figured out whether a person can be infected with the deadly virus twice.
On the contrary, plenty of studies suggest that infected people who show severe symptoms but recover, develop much stronger immunity to the virus than patients who have only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.
A BBC report even says that the the sickest patients develop the strongest immune response.
If the studies are to be trusted, it seems a little improbable that Troicki would contract the virus for a second time while at Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour, given that he experienced such severe symptoms in India.
Viktor Troicki tested positive for the virus in June while accompanied by his friend Novak Djokovic - more than four months after his visit to India. While it can't be denied that Troicki was severely ill during his visit to India, as he even had to withdraw from the tournament, it seems unlikely that it was COVID-19.
It is also pertinent to note that while Maharashtra is the worst affected region in India with over 300,000 reported cases, there were no confirmed cases in the state or even overall in India back in February. There is little to no evidence that suggests there was an unreported spread of the virus in the country back in February.
Some believe Viktor Troicki has made these claims to divert some of the heat from his friend Novak Djokovic, who has been facing relentless criticism over the Adria Tour. But blaming an illness on a visit to India, which is struggling to deal with the pandemic four months on, is not exactly a great look on the Serb.