Will take a while for Novak Djokovic to get past Adria Tour disaster, says German tennis boss
Germany women's tennis head, Barbara Rittner, has once again criticized Novak Djokovic for conducting the Adria Tour in the Balkans. She said she wasn't surprised that Djokovic tested positive for COVID-19, and also that he dug a hole for himself with his carelessness.
During an appearance on the 'Extra Time' podcast, Barbara Rittner spoke extensively about the Adria Tour's failure. She had earlier explained how Novak Djokovic had done a disservice to the tennis world by organizing the tournament, and in yesterday's podcast she doubled down on that view.
Along with Novak Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Viktor Troicki and Borna Coric have also contracted the virus.
It was a bad sign to everyone else: Barbara Rittner on Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour
Novak Djokovic and his associates seemed to have pulled off a successful first weekend of the Adria Tour in Belgrade. They conducted the matches smoothly in Serbia's capital city, with nearly 4,000 fans in attendance.
However, there were signs of wrongdoing throughout. The players failed to maintain safe distance between themselves while on the court, and later even went to a crowded night-club to celebrate their success. Australian player Nick Kyrgios slammed the tennis stars for their actions in Belgrade, and he wasn't the only one.
When asked about her opinion on the current situation surrounding Novak Djokovic, Barbara Rittner replied:
"He dug his own hole he was falling into. After three players tested positive in front of him, it came as no surprise."
The German tennis official fears that even more tennis players might test positive for COVID-19 because of the ignorance of the tournament organizers. Talking about Novak Djokovic in particular, Rittner said that it would take some time for him to repair his reputation but that the incident is unlikely to affect his tennis.
"He'll get to feel it. It will take a while for that to be eradicated. It won't hurt him. He's mentally strong enough to continue playing good tennis," Barbara continued.
Lastly, Rittner expressed hope that Novak Djokovic introspects about his decision to conduct the Adria Tour during the pandemic, and learns a lesson for the future.
"I hope he will think a few things in the two-week quarantine and find that it wasn't a good idea," she signed off.
Novak Djokovic had issued a public apology to all the players and officials who got infected during the Adria Tour. The 2020 Australian Open winner is reportedly feeling no symptoms, but is now under quarantine for 14 days.
Djokovic also declared that the Adria Tour had been called off, and it remains to be seen when he'll be on the court again.