Novak Djokovic put a lot of effort into organizing the Adria Tour in the Balkans and that didn’t end well as one of the top players he has invited, Grigor Dimitrov, tested positive. The exhibition looked to be extremely successful especially in Belgrade as a large crowd was in the stands following their tennis heroes. Unfortunately, the social distancing was practically absent and the organization of the event went a bit too far to organize soccer matches and wild parties with people hugging, taking shirts off etc.
The overall behavior and the scenes reported on social media attracted a lot of attention and criticism with people wondering why there was no care about social distancing and there were no precautions. Organizing the Adria Tour was already a bit risky, but organizing “wild parties” and all sorts of other activities looked insane.
Grigor Dimitrov DID NOT Quarantine and in fact took off his airline required mask upon landing in Belgrade; right before he hugged Novak Djokovic. pic.twitter.com/vIZJq8XmOP
— PHLASH58 (@PHLASH58) June 13, 2020
Things got south in Zadar (Croatia). Grigor lost a match against Borna Coric when he didn’t look to be in great condition. Once back to Monaco, the Bulgarian ace tested positive to Covid-19. After the news was broken, the Adria Tour was canceled just before Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev had to play the final.
The criticism vs. Djokovic
Novak was criticized already for organizing the Adria Tour. However, that was probably premature as it was expected that some measures would have been observed. Social media comments became harsher and harsher when people learned about the lack of social distancing in Belgrade and Zadar. After the confirmation that Grigor tested positive, the criticism went to an all-new level. Here some comments.
In the last 10 days, Dimitrov played in two stadiums with crowd in two different countries, played a football and a basketball game with Djokovic, Zverev & co and enjoyed his (shirtless) time in a club in Belgrade.
His handshake with Borna yesterday: https://t.co/Yltx6p2o5s
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) June 21, 2020
Stellar leadership 😂 #ifyouknowyouknow
— Mitchell Krueger (@mitch_krueger) June 21, 2020
Thank you for your service! Everyone wants to get back to playing but not at the expense of health! especially for the healthcare workers who do not get enough credit . Health should have been the first priority , not how many people can travel with you to a slam .
— Sachia Vickery (@SachiaVick) June 21, 2020
It’s just not okay. Reckless and disappointing that they thought tennis deserved the risk https://t.co/pkbnISTv6i
— Noah Rubin (@Noahrubin33) June 21, 2020
Really?
You mean that if you arrogantly hold tennis tournaments with players openly mingling with a 12,000 strong crowd in the middle of a global pandemic then someone may get sick?
SHOCKING!!!https://t.co/ipvN1bCAFh
— Edina Monsoon (@DJRooRox) June 21, 2020
Novak Djokovic’s Adria Tour with packed stadiums and no testing protocol was an incredibly bad idea. Grigor Dimitrov was shaking hands and hanging out with everyone. https://t.co/RNJ2que6Po
— Sean Kent (@seankent) June 22, 2020
These pictures were jarring and alarming, to say the least, a week ago, before Dimitrov announced he had tested positive. https://t.co/4cZy7c6D4s
— The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) June 21, 2020
Today’s events underscore the difference between what a group of people are “legally required to do” and what they “should do anyway because it’s wise and considerate”. The difference between those 2 stances may now eliminate the tennis season. @DjokerNole (Get well soon Grigor)
— Brett Haber (@BrettHaber) June 21, 2020
Djokovic these past few months
– revealed he's anti-vax
– advocated for pseudoscience & medicine
– Brought together players (including Dimitrov) from multiple countries to play in packed stadiums without any safety measuresNole, what is this behavior? pic.twitter.com/H987IP3g4L
— Annanya (@annanyajohari) June 21, 2020
So the tennis news is that in a no mask no distancing plenty of spectators exhibition in Serbia organized by Novak Djokovic, a top player (Dimitrov) has just tested positive so the final is cancelled. Guys they had a kids day.😬👎😭
— Dr. Catherine Prendergast🔥 (@cjp_still) June 21, 2020
Novak Djokovic needs to address this issue head on. He can’t just say that he’s following government regulations. I can’t believe the Adria Tour has gone ahead without social distancing measures??? In multiple cities??? Just disgraceful and I hope this is a wake up call
— R. (@drivevolleys) June 21, 2020
Dimitrov and co standing in the middle of a big crowd in Zadar (a really nice place in normal times) two days ago. You can actually hear him call it "crazy" and Coric explaining that they did actually go into lockdown. pic.twitter.com/HiHj4BF8po
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) June 21, 2020
Grigor is the very nicest guy and I’m wishing him good health and quick recovery from this nasty disease.
But my golly, I hope he can serve as an example to other players/athletes/people who aren’t taking the coronavirus seriously.
The disease is real. The risks are real.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) June 21, 2020
the irony of it all https://t.co/cnc1dO7pg6
— ً (@dominxos) June 21, 2020
COVID? Nah, everything is ok in Serbia. We can hug, we can kiss… 🥳
Dimitrov 🦠➕. Good luck to the rest of people. pic.twitter.com/7kPiUlPoDd
— 9-7 in the 5th (@97InThe5th) June 21, 2020
Coming back positive #COVID19 from Adria Tour! Grigor Dimitrov pic.twitter.com/ij9jDHx9Ic
— Brian🇨🇭 (@camerlengo73_2) June 21, 2020
If you really can’t understand the problem isn’t WHERE Dimitrov got the virus but the fact that the organization of Adria Tour allowed potential positive cases to spread the virus with the DISGUSTING way to ignore an ongoing pandemic. Fucking open your eyes.
— F r a n 🇪🇸 (@_rafaholic) June 21, 2020
Novak Djokovic in 2020
Now ranked no.1, Novak played his last match on the 29th of February when he overcame Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3 6-4 in the final in Dubai to win his 79th career title.
This season the Serbian has a 18-0 win-loss record. Novak clinched 2 titles in 2020 at the Australian Open and in Dubai.
Grigor Dimitrov in 2020
Ranked no.19, Dimitrov played his last match on the 28th of February when he was defeated by Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2 in the semifinal in Acapulco.
Grigor Dimitrov’s most significant performance of the present season was reaching the semi-finals in Acapulco.
Novak Djokovic and Grigor Dimitrov played each other 10 times. The head to head is 9-1 for Djokovic. The last time that they fought against each other, Novak Djokovic won 7-65 6-4 in the semifinal in Paris (BNP Paribas Masters) in November 2019.
Here the video highlights.
