After testing positive for coronavirus in Belgrade, Serbia, Novak Djokovic on Tuesday said that he was ‘deeply sorry’, following the exhibition tournament he hosted in the Balkans, admitting he and organisers ‘were wrong’ to go ahead with the event.
The world’s No. 1 tennis player is the fourth to test positive for the infection, after Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki in the Adria tour, which saw minimal social distancing.
‘I am so deeply sorry our tournament has caused harm,’ the 33-year-old wrote on Twitter. ‘Everything the organisers and I did the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions,’ he added.
pic.twitter.com/vR18zKhtL8
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 23, 2020
Djokovic said that they believed the tournament met all health protocols, and the health of the region seemed in good condition to finally ‘unite people for philanthropic reasons’.
Later that evening, he had organised a party in a club for the players and in celebration of the event, the pictures of which went viral on social media.
Una fiesta derivó en un contagio masivo de #coronavirus en tenistas.Se infectaron el tenista croata Borna Coric, el entrenador físico de Djokovic y él; Marco Panichi, y el entrenador de Dimitrov, Cristian Groh, además de Dimitrov, que fue el primero. pic.twitter.com/h8gROdhSLx
— Janosik Garcia (@Janosikgarciaz) June 23, 2020
Novak Djokovic Parties In Belgrade Club Days Before Confirming COVID-19 Diagnosis.#Serbia#Croatia#NovakDjokovic #NovakDjocovid #party #club #COVID19 #Pandemic #StayHome #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/DQyn2p1Pfh
— Amaan (@Ammyindiyeah) June 23, 2020
Djokovic has urged all the attendees of the Adria tour, consisting more than 4,000 people, to get themselves tested. Health resources will be shared in the future for those who attended the Belgrade and Zadar events last week, he added.
‘The rest of the tournament has been cancelled and we will remain focused on all those who have been affected. I pray for everyone’s full recovery.’
The player’s wife Jelena has also tested positive for the virus, however, the children returned negative. Djokovic’s fitness coach Marco Panichi and Grigor Dimitrov’s coach Christian Groh have also tested positive. Other players who took part, including Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem, tested negative for coronavirus.
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