Novak Djokovic’s parents defended their son on Wednesday, passing the blame on to Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov who was the first tennis player to test positive for the coronavirus during the ill-fated Adria Tour.
“Why did it happen? Because that man (Dimitrov) probably came sick, who knows from where,” Srdjan Djokovic told RTL Croatia TV. “He didn’t test here, he tested somewhere else ... I think that’s not fair.”
Djokovic and his wife tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, after Dimitrov, Croatia’s Borna Coric and Serbian player Viktor Troicki confirmed they contracted the virus. Reports said there is no evidence to suggest that Dimitrov spread COVID-19 to the others.
“He (Dimitrov) inflicted damage to both Croatia and to us as a family in Serbia,” Srdjan Djokovic said. “Nobody is feeling well because of this situation.”
After confirming his positive test result, the world number one took to social media to apologise for organising the Adria Tour “too soon”. He and his wife Jelena will remain in isolation for 14 days before repeating the test.
“I can’t express enough how sorry I am for this and every case of infection,” the 33-year-old had said in a note posted on social media. He further asked those who attended the tour or have been in contact with attendees to get tested and “practice social distancing”.
Social distancing norms were ignored during the tournament, which was played in Serbian capital Belgrade and Croatia’s Zadar region in two legs, as players were seen partying together and playing basketball, all the while not wearing masks. Players were flown in from around the world for the charity tennis event which saw stand packed with spectators.
Djokovic’s mother, meanwhile, said that her son and his wife are feeling fine, but are suffering because of the widespread criticism.
“It is horrible what is being written, but we are used to it,” Dijana Djokovic told the Belgrade daily Blic.
The rising number of cases have cast a shadow over the staging of the US Open which is scheduled to begin from August 31. Tennis, among other sports, was suspended following the outbreak of the coronavirus in March. While Wimbledon was cancelled for the first time since World War II, the French Open was postponed to September.