Novak Djokovic has recently tested postive for coronavirus after organising a tennis tournament in Serbia and Croatia. The tennis super star has been the centre of controversy in the last 24 hours after he joins a growing list of people at the tournament to test positive.
Autralian tennis player Nick Kyrgios slammed Novak Djokovic for being “irresponsible”, and shared an internet video of the star dancing shirtless at a Serbian bar days before he and several other players at his charity event tournament would test positive for coronavirus.
Kyrgios took to Twitter shortly after news broke that Djokovic himself contracted the virus following the second event on the Adria Tour in Zadar, Croatia.
Prayers up to all the players that have contracted Covid – 19. Don’t @ me for anything I’ve done that has been ‘irresponsible’ or classified as ‘stupidity’ – this takes the cake. https://t.co/lVligELgID
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) June 23, 2020
Images from the tournment show crowds sitting close together with masks and the players were seen hugging, and celebrating and dancing in a crowded Belgrade nightclub.
Djokovic later released his own apology statement and said:
“The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested,” Djokovic wrote. “My result is positive, just as Jelena’s [Djokovic’s wife], while the results of our children are negative. Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions. Our tournament meant to unite and share a message of solidarity and compassion throughout the region.”
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 23, 2020
The other players who tested positive after two weeks on the Adria Tour include ATP No. 19 Grigor Dimitrov, No. 33 Borna Coric and 34-year-old Viktor Troicki. In addition, Dimitrov’s coach, Christian Groh, and Djokovic’s fitness coach, Marko Paniki, tested positive.
The world number one has now become the centre of the storm over whether sports should resume as per normal while the pandemic is still very much a reality and cases are still on the rise.
ESPN reports that one former coach of Grand Slam champions who asked not to be identified told the network, “The big question in my mind is: Was this ignorance or arrogance on the part of Djokovic?”
Months earlier Djokovic revealed that he was against vaccinations and didn’t want to be vaccinated for COVID-19, even if it was mandatory for international travel.
He said that he’s “opposed to vaccination” and “wouldn’t want to be forced” to get one to resume playing tennis.
In a Facebook livestream, the tennis superstar said: “Personally, I am opposed to vaccination and I wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine in order to be able to travel.”
“But, if it becomes compulsory, what will happen? I will have to make a decision.”
“Hypothetically, if the season was to resume in July, August or September, though unlikely, I understand that a vaccine will become a requirement straight after we are out of strict quarantine and there is no vaccine yet,” he said to the other Serbian athletes in the Zoom chat.
