It all started with jokes, laughter and without masks. With Novak Djokovic receiving Grigor Dimitrov at the Belgrade airport with a shocking hug 10th of June. And it all ended abruptly today with the news of the Bulgarian positive for coronavirus. Eleven days after living with number one on the Adria Tour, the tour of the Balkans that the Serbian has organized and that had a first stop in Belgrade last week and a second this weekend in Zadar (Croatia). The final, which was to be played by Djokovic and Russia's Andrey Rublev at 8:30 p.m., was suspended as a precaution. “We must guarantee safety and all the players will be tested,” Goran Ivanisevic, Nole's coach, said gloomily on the court.
Tennis trembles now after announcing its return on August 14 in Washington with the questioned US Open on the horizon (August 31).
Dimitrov (19th in the ranking) lost on Saturday against Borna Coric, without giving a good impression on the court. And despite this and suspecting that he might be infected, he traveled to his home in Monaco to undergo a test. From there she released the news accompanied by a photo (now she is) wearing a mask. “I want my fans and friends to know that I tested positive in Monaco for COVID-19. I want to make sure that anyone who has been in contact with me for the past few days is tested and takes the necessary precautions. I'm very sorry for the damage that I could have caused. Now I'm back home and I'm recovering, “he wrote.
Dimitrov enjoyed a party at a disco in the Serbian capital after the tournament that Dominic Thiem won (3rd in the ranking). Djokovic was also there, disheveled, with whom he squeezed several times throughout the days. And Alexander Zverev (7th). They also played football games at the host's home (Dimitrov scored a goal and Nole jumped on him to congratulate him and took off his shirt) and basketball along with other tennis players and KK Zadar players.
Djokovic, before those hugs with everyone, had been in contact with Nikola Jankovic, a Partizán basketball player who tested positive for COVID, as confirmed by the team and it became known last week. It was in one of the acts of tribute to former player and coach Dejan Milojevic.
The social distance in Belgrade (4,000 spectators) and Zadar was nil. With the absence of protection and hygienic measures between players, coaches and the public. Events with children, exhibitions with effusive displays of affection with former players like Jelena Jankovic … That, while Djokovic, president of the Players Council, complained about the “extreme” measures that the US Open is preparing.
“We have never crossed the line,” Djokovic defended himself from criticism. And threw data. In Serbia, the pandemic has affected much less than in other countries (12,900 cases), and in Croatia there are 2,300 infected. “It is difficult to explain to people that the situation is really different in America or in the United Kingdom with respect to Serbia and the surrounding countries, and obviously from the first day we follow the rules and measures agreed by governments,” he said. But the virus was also on the loose.
Tennis players like Marin Cilic, Borna Coric, Filip Krajinovic, Viktor Troicki and Dusan Lajovic have also played matches. We will have to wait to see if they are also affected.