A couple of months–or maybe even just one week ago–news of Novak Djokovic being diagnosed with the coronavirus would have been alarming, perhaps even shocking. On Tuesday, however, it was nothing short of expected.
The Adria Tour in Belgrade and Zadar featured thousands of fans and very little–if any–social distancing. In the aftermath of what was already perceived as a reckless endeavor, Grigor Dimitrov was the first participant to test positive. That happened on Sunday, and both Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki were not not far behind. Troicki’s wife has it, as well.
Djokovic returned to Serbia without getting tested. He was tested on Monday night and the results came back on Tuesday afternoon. To the surprise of no one, the world No. 1 did in fact test positive–as did his wife, Jelena. He confirmed the results on his social media channels.
“It was all born with a philanthropic idea, to direct all raised funds toward people in need and it warmed my heart to see how everybody strongly responded to this,” Djokovic said of the Adria Tour. “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.”
The final of the Zadar leg was called off on Sunday. There were supposed to be two more stops on the Adria Tour, but those have obviously been cancelled.
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