Montenegro steps down from Djokovic's Adria Tour by COVID

The world number one, Novak Djokovic, saw how Saturday as the first day of his charity tour, the Adria Tour, was somewhat spoiled by the news that the third stage of the event, scheduled to take place in Montenegro, was cancelled due to concerns about COVID-19.

The four-stop tour started at the Djokovic tennis complex in Belgrade, with the 33-year-old's vocation in his first singles match against compatriot Viktor Troicki (double 4-1). But soon after the game, Djokovic's younger brother, Djordje, director of the event, issued a statement to the media saying that Montenegro rejected the option of hosting one of the stages since Serbia is still among the countries whose citizens are prohibited from entering the Adriatic Republic. due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have been trying to organize this particular leg for weeks, but the challenges proved insurmountable. “, said. “We cannot travel to Montenegro. We hope that will change, but it has not yet and this leg of the trip is ruled out.”

The second stage of the Adria Tour will take place in the coastal town of Zadar in Croatia on June 20 and 21, while the final section is scheduled in the city of Banja Luka, Bosnia on July 3-4.

With 12,175 confirmed cases and 252 coronavirus-related deaths, Serbia has eased many of its blocking measures, including banning the public from meetings, allowing some 4,000 fans to invade the Djokovic tennis complex along the Danube river.

The Belgrade phase brought together some other great ATP names, such as world number three Dominic Thiem, Alexander, seventh classified, Zverev and number 19 Grigor Dimitrov. Croatian Marin Cilic, winner of the 2014 US Open, and Borna Coric will join Djokovic in the Zadar stage.