NOVAK: ‘I’M NOT GUILTY’ IN ADRIA FARCE

NOVAK DJOKOVIC says he does not feel guilty about his disastrous Adria Tour and insists he would do it all again. The world No 1 is in New York, preparing to play in next week’s Western and Southern Open followed by the US Open. The Serb (right) has lurched from one controversy to another during the coronavirus pandemic, chief among them the Adria Tour in June. Djokovic helped to organise the event in Serbia and Croatia with full stadiums and no social distancing, leading to four players, himself included, testing positive for Covid. But Djokovic, 33, told the

New York Times: ‘I don’t think I’ve done anything bad to be honest. ‘I do feel sorry for people who were infected. Do I feel guilty for anybody who was infected from that point onward in Serbia, Croatia and the region? Of course not. It’s like a witchhunt. ‘How can you blame one individual for everything? Yes, there were some steps that could have been done differently but am I going to be then forever blamed for doing a mistake? ‘I know that the intentions were right and correct and if I had the chance to do the Adria Tour again, I would do it again.’ Djokovic also clarified his wariness over taking a coronavirus vaccine, should one be developed and become compulsory for players to compete. ‘I see that the international media has taken that out of context a little bit, saying that I am completely against vaccines of any kind,’ he said. ‘My issue here with vaccines is if someone is forcing me to put something in my body. I am not against vaccination of any kind, because who am I to speak about vaccines when there are people who have been in the field of medicine and saving lives around the world?’ But he added: ‘How are we expecting that to solve our problem when this coronavirus is mutating regularly, from what I understand?’