Novak Djokovic — Shohei Izumi/AP/SIPA
Novak Djokovic released a second letter of apology on Tuesday evening. The Serb, who tested positive for coronavirus, admits that he was wrong to organize the Adria Tour. “I am deeply sorry that our tournament could have caused such damage,” said the 17-time grand slam winner, on Twitter. “We were wrong, it was too early,” added Djokovic, the main organizer of this charity tournament in the Balkans.
pic.twitter.com/vR18zKhtL8
– Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 23, 2020
“Everything we have done for a month has been done with a pure heart and with sincere intentions,” the Serb tried to justify himself after the announcement of his positive test. Djokovic also called on anyone who attended the Adria Tour or who attended participants to “get tested” and “maintain social distancing”.
“For those who are in Belgrade or Zadar, we will very soon be sharing health resources,” he added. “We believe that the tournament responded to health protocols and the region (of the Balkans) was in good condition to finally unite people for a philanthropic purpose,” says Nole.
Three other players tested positive at Covid-19
Despite the “sincere intentions” of the world number 1, social distancing measures have hardly been respected, between a packed stadium in Belgrade with few masks or players who go out to night clubs or play basketball and football, without any contact restrictions.
Three other players who participated in the tournament tested positive: Grigor Dimitrov (19th), Borna Coric (33rd) and Viktor Troicki (184th). This cascade of positive cases could have an impact on the resumption of the ATP professional circuit, scheduled from August 14 in Washington before the US Open (August 31-September 13).
–
