Partying Djoker contracts COVID-19
Amid public backlash for hosting the controversial Adria Tour and reckless partying in the middle of a pandemic, Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic and his wife, Jelena, have tested positive for the coronavirus.
“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,” the world No. 1-ranked player said in a translated statement Tuesday.
“Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions. Our tournament was meant to unite and share a message of solidarity and compassion throughout the region.”
Three other players — Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki — had tested positive for coronavirus, leading to the cancellation of Djokovic’s charity tournament. Dimitrov’s coach, Chris Gro, and Djokovic’s fitness coach, Marko Paniki, had also tested positive for the coronavirus.
Djokovic, who has previously stated he is opposed to vaccination, will be in isolation for the next 14 days, and plans to retest in five days.
“I am extremely sorry for each individual case of infection,” he said. “I hope that it will not complicate anyone’s health situation and that everyone will be fine.”
The 33-year-old drew ire from the tennis community for holding the charity exhibition tournament, including from Australia’s Nick Kyrgios and Britain’s Dan Evans, who said Monday that Djokovic “set a poor example” and “should feel some responsibility in his event and how it’s transpired.”
“We organized the tournament at the moment when the virus has weakened, believing that the conditions for hosting the Tour had been met,” Djokovic said. “Unfortunately, this virus is still present and it is a new reality that we are learning to cope and live with.”
The tournament kicked off in Djokovic’s hometown of Belgrade — before shifting to Croatia — and he was quickly criticized for implementing minimal social distancing and organizing trips to nightclubs.
“You can also criticize us and say this is maybe dangerous. But it’s not up to me to make the calls about what is right or wrong for health. We are doing what the Serbian government is telling us,” Djokovic said at the opening ceremony.