Novak Djokovic's controversial Adria Tour, the tour from which, at the moment, four players and four other people infected with COVID-19 have left, including the promoter of the event, It was canceled this Tuesday after knowing the positive of the number one in the world and his wife.
The stages of Bania Luka and Sarajevo, both cities of Bosnia, were suspended after the disaster caused by the non-existent sanitary measures in Belgrade and Zadar, in Serbia and Croatia, respectively. “We are very sorry to have to stop organizing the next tennis tournaments in Bania Luka and Sarajevo. We were eager to promote the sport and provide financial support to local players, as well as the audience that finally saw Novak Djokovic and other tennis players live, after many years of waiting. Unfortunately, due to all the events that happened in the past few days, hWe have decided that the most important thing at this time is to stabilize the epidemiological situation and that everyone recover “, said Adria Tour director Djordje Djokovic, Novak's brother.
After today's meeting of all members of the Organizing Committee of Adria Tour, it has been decided that the tournament could not be continued and, therefore, the matches in Banja Luka and Sarajevo will not be held.
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– Adria Tour Official (@AdriaTennisTour) June 23, 2020
“We thank all the participants of the Srpska Republic Tennis Association, the city of Sarajevo, all those who worked hard in the previous days to prepare these events. We appreciate that and we remain friends, while we hope that we make our idea come true. , as soon as conditions allow it, “emphasized Djordje, who highlights in the statement the beneficial nature of the Adria Tour. “Now we continue to focus on supporting all those who have been infected with Covid-19, wishing that they recover as soon as possible,” said the Organizing Committee.
Montenegro got off the project
On the opening day of the Adria Tour in Belgrade, two weeks ago, Djokovic's brother announced that it would not be possible to take the tour to Montenegro, Serbia was still among the countries whose citizens were prohibited from entering the Adriatic Republic due to the coronavirus pandemic. “We cannot travel to Montenegro. We hope that will change, but it has not yet done so and this leg of the trip is ruled out,” Djordje said. In the end, no agreement was reached. In fact, a specific headquarters had not yet been established there.
The president of the ATP criticizes the tennis players
The president of the ATP, Andrea Gaudenzi, criticized the attitude of the tennis players during the Adria Tour, in which several players have been infected, and pointed out that it will serve to make events safer. This Tuesday, the Serbian Novak Djokovic confirmed that he has tested positive for coronaviruses, as the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov did in the past few days, Croatian Borna Coric and Serbian Viktor Troicki, all of them participating in the exhibition organized by Djokovic.
Gaudenzi, speaking to the New York Times, believes that this experience will help make events safer in the future. “This is like when your kids start riding a bike and tell them to put on a helmet. They tell you no, no and no. Then they get on the bike and fall off. From there they already put on the helmet “, assured the director of the ATP.
“Now we all know that we can get it easily, so we will be much more careful”he added. The ATP announced last week the calendar for the coming months, with the resumption of the circuit on August 14 with the tournament in Washington. -EFE / London