Virus cases raise problems over Djokovic tournament
Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki have all tested great for coronavirus after taking part in a great exhibition tennis tournament found in the Balkans featuring globe number 1 Novak Djokovic, raising queries over the sport's planned come back in August.
Croatia's Coric, ranked 33rd in the world, revealed Monday he had tested great for COVID-19, with Troicki confirmed to possess contracted the virus a long time later.
It follows Sunday's announcement by Dimitrov that he had also tested great after pulling out of the exhibition function in Croatia, one of the primary since the tennis time was halted because of the pandemic.
Coric tweeted: "I want to make sure whoever has been in contact with me over the last couple of days gets tested!
"I am really sorry for just about any harm I might have caused! I'm sense well and don't possess any simptoms (sic). Please remain safe and healthy!"
Among Djokovic's coaches and another member of Dimitrov's entourage also have reportedly tested great for the virus, according to Croatia's N1 television set channel. Troicki, meanwhile, played Djokovic last week in Belgrade.
Coric had beaten Bulgaria's Dimitrov found in the next leg of the Adria Tour found in Zadar on Croatia's Adriatic coast on Saturday.
Dimitrov withdrew from the Balkans tournament following that match, complaining of sense unwell.
Sunday's final between Djokovic, who's president of the ATP Person Council, and Russia's Andrey Rublev was immediately cancelled as being a precaution.
Australian star Nick Kyrgios pulled very little punches in his a reaction to Coric's tweet.
'Not a joke'
"Boneheaded decision to just do it with the 'exhibition'," Kyrgios wrote on social mass media.
"Speedy recovery fellas, but that's what goes on when you disregard all protocols. THIS IS SIMPLY NOT A JOKE."
Britain's Andy Murray called it "a good lesson for all of us".
"Once you begin having mass gatherings with persons coming in from all sorts of countries, it's a recipe for this to kick off," Murray said.
As well playing in the tournament were world number three Dominic Thiem, former US Open winner Marin Cilic, seventh-ranked Alexander Zverev and Filip Krajinovic.
Both Zverev and Cilic after took to Twitter to state they their tests had returned negative for the virus which has killed over 465,000 people.
"I have just received the news that my team and I've tested undesirable for COVID-19," Germany's Zverev wrote.
"I deeply apologize to anyone who I have potentially jeopardized by playing this tour."
He said he would now come to be following "self-isolating guidelines" whilst Cilic announced his purpose to quarantine for two weeks.
Djokovic will reportedly talk with the general public on Tuesday following receiving the effects of his test.
His brother, the tournament's director Djordje Djokovic, said the 17-time Grand Slam winner had taken the news headlines of Dimitrov's result "very difficult".
Information on Coric's positive check emerged as Serbian soccer league champions Red Celebrity Belgrade reported that five of their players had opted straight down with coronavirus just 12 days after their derby clash with Partizan Belgrade.
The overall game was watched by 16,000 fans, the major sporting gathering observed in Europe because the continent went into lockdown in March.
The Adria Tour have been organised to fill the gap in the virus-hit tennis calendar which includes been on ice since mid-March and was played out to a daily crowd of 4,000 fans at Djokovic's tennis centre on the banking institutions of the Danube in Belgrade last week.
Dimitrov, Djokovic and Thiem, as well as the other players, were in that case seen partying at a packed Belgrade night spot.
Thiem has since travelled south of France to take up found in another exhibition tournament found in Nice.
The Adria Tour had already suffered an uncomfortable setback when the planned Montenegro leg of the four-nation tournament was cancelled when it became apparent Serbia's health requirements didn't match to those of Montenegro.
Commenting on social distancing measures through the Belgrade leg, Djokovic argued that both equally Serbia and the spot have been relatively successful in comprising the virus.
"Of course you may criticise, also you can say this is dangerous or certainly not, but it isn't up to me to help make the calls what's health-wise right or wrong," he stated.
The other day, the ATP and WTA said these were restarting their tours on August.
However, the US Open in NY will be played behind closed doors and under strict wellbeing protocols which Djokovic features referred to as "extreme" and "impossible".
