The Organizers of the Eastern European Tennis Championship have insisted that adequate safety measures are being followed after it was confirmed that two players have tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday.
Bosnian world No.106 Tomislav Brkić and Croatian doubles world No.154 Matej Šabanov have both tested positive for the virus in their home countries after travelling back from the tournament. They have taken part in various matches over the past two weeks since the tournament got underway on June 15th. Serbian newspaper Mondo have quoted officials saying that neither player are experiencing any symptoms and they are both in isolation.
“During the men’s tournament, we did not have any cases where someone complained that they had corona symptoms,” tournament director and former top 10 player Janko Tipsarevic said in a statement.
“Of course, due to the general situation and despite all the safety measures that apply in our country, I advise everyone to take a test and it is obligatory for anyone who suspect that they are infected to report it, stop participating in matches and be in isolation until the results are obtained.”
The tournament is taking place at Tipsarevic’s academy, which is located in the Serbian capital of Belgrade. The same city where the controversy-stricken Adria Tour kicked-off a few weeks ago. Which had since been cancelled following an outbreak of COVID-19 among top players, including Borna Coric, Grigor Dimitrov and Adria Tour founder Novak Djokovic.
Despite the positive tests, Tipsarevic has stressed that he intends to continue holding the event as planned, which is taking place behind closed doors. On Monday will be the start of the women’s event which will feature the likes of Ivana Jorovic, Irina Camelia Begu, Ana Bogdan and Jana Fett.
“Two weeks weeks of the women’s tournament will start, in which all girls who feel absolutely healthy and who have not had contact with someone who is positive for Covid-19 will participate,” he said.
“As for Brkić and Šabanov, there was no indication that they were infected during the tournament. The symptoms of the tournament appeared, the test showed that they were positive. As for the people who had contact with him during their stay in Belgrade – the test results are negative.”
Tipsarevic’s claims that it can’t be certain that the players caught the virus whilst at the tournament has failed to win over Kristina Mlaenovic, who has officially withdrawn over concerns. Citing ‘recent events’ as the reason for her decision.
“I am sorry to announce my withdrawal from the Eastern European tournament. I would like to thank Janko for his invitation. I have no doubt his organization is doing everything to protect the safety of the players but the recent events have shown me that it is not safe yet for me to travel and resume competition.” Mladenovic wrote on her Instagram story.
According to official figures, Serbia has recorded 13,792 cases of COVID-19, including 267 deaths. Today it has also been reported that Maja Gojkovic, the speaker of Serbia’s National Assembly, has been hospitalized due to the virus.