'We were wrong' - Novak Djokovic issues unconditional apology for Adria Tour disaster

Novak Djokovic's controversial Adria Tour has been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the past few days. The second leg of the charity tour of exhibition tournaments that was being held across the Balkans region came to a standstill after Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday.

Later that night it emerged that most of the big names in attendance - including Borna Coric, Alexander Zverev, Marin Cilic, Donna Vekic and Andrey Rublev - got tested for the virus immediately. Hometown hero Coric also tested positive, and it looked like the event had become a coronavirus hotspot.

However, host Novak Djokovic decided against getting a test in Croatia and instead chose to go back home to Belgrade. As luck would have it, on Tuesday, news broke that the Serb alongside his wife Jelena, had tested positive for the virus.

Compatriot Viktor Troicki and his pregnant wife also tested positive for the virus on Tuesday. The Adria Tour has been officially cancelled since.

Djokovic issued a statement early on Tuesday via a press release, which was subsequently posted on Adria Tour's Instagram page. In that statement the Serb's team didn't apologize for anything except the individual cases of infection, and instead they reiterated the humanitarian principles of the event as well as the idea of sending a message of unity across the region.

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"The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested. My result is positive, just as Jelena's, while the results of our children are negative. Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions. Our tournament meant to unite and share a message of solidarity and compassion throughout the region. The Tour has been designed to help both established and up and coming tennis players from South-Eastern Europe to gain access to some competitive tennis while the various tours are on hold due to the COVID-19 situation. It was all born with a philanthropic idea, to direct all raised funds towards people in need and it warmed my heart to see how everybody strongly responded to this. We organized the tournament at the moment when the virus has weakened, believing that the conditions for hosting the Tour had been met. Unfortunately, this virus is still present, and it is a new reality that we are still learning to cope and live with. I am hoping things will ease with time so we can all resume lives the way they were. I am extremely sorry for each individual case of infection. I hope that it will not complicate anyone's health situation and that everyone will be fine. I will remain in self-isolation for the next 14 days, and repeat the test in five days.”

A post shared by Adria Tour (@adriatourofficial) on Jun 23, 2020 at 5:28am PDT

After being slammed from all corners of the tennis world for the half-baked apology, Novak Djokovic has released a fresh statement - taking full responsibility for the damage done by the Adria Tour over the past month.

I can't express how sorry I am: Novak Djokovic

(From L to R) Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov and Dominic Thiem

In the detailed statement shared via his social media accounts, Novak Djokovic expressed his regret over the whole debacle. He also affirmed that he would stay in self-isolation for 14 days, and take another test in five.

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— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 23, 2020

"I am so deeply sorry our tournament has caused harm. Everything the organizers and I did the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions. We believed the tournament met all health protocols and the health of our region seemed in good condition to finally unite people for philanthropic reasons," Novak Djokovic said. "We were wrong and it was too soon. I can’t express enough how sorry I am for this and every case of infection."

The World No. 1 further announced protective measures for all those who were in attendance at the Adria Tour, and expressed hope that everyone affected would recover soon.

"If you attended Adria Tour or were around any attendees please get tested and practice social distancing. For those in Belgrade and Zadar, we will be sharing health resources in the future," said the Serb. "I pray for everyone's full recovery."