World No.1 Novak Djokovic has been declared COVID-19 free along with his wife following the latest tests the couple have undergone in Belgrade.
The 17-time grand slam champion confirmed 10 days ago that he had tested positive for the virus shortly after playing in the Adria Tour in Zadar. Where fellow players Grigor Dimitrov and Borna Coric also tested positive along with some coaching staff. Organizers of the Tour, which was founded by Djokovic, have since cancelled the two remaining tournaments following the outbreak.
“Novak Djokovic and his wife Jelena are negative for COVID-19. That was shown by the results of the PCR tests that both had in Belgrade,’‘ Djokovic’s media team said in a statement.
Both Djokovic and his wife were asymptomatic throughout their diagnoses. Meaning that neither of them showed any signs of symptoms but was still at high risk of potentially passing the virus on. Upon learning the positive tests, the couple entered the recommended 14-day self-isolation period.
Recently the Prime Minister of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, said her government was responsible for the fallout following the event. Djokovic and others were criticised for a lack of social distancing, attending packed parties and interacting with the public during the pandemic. However, none of those actions were again regional laws.
“If they (the public) could shift that blame on me as the Prime Minister of Serbia, and leave him (Djokovic) alone, I would like that the most in the world,” she said.
“It is our fault, we relaxed the measures, if we had not, this tournament would not have taken place, so he listened to our recommendations and it is my fault, not Novak Djokovic’s.”
Djokovic, who started 2020 by winning 18 matches in a row on the ATP Tour, is yet to comment in public about the Adria Tour controversy. On the day he confirmed he had contracted the virus, he said that the event was organised with ‘a pure heart and sincere intentions.’
There is yet to be any statement from the teams of Coric and Dimitrov as to if they are still testing positive for the virus. The tests do not show which one of them had the virus first.
Who got infected around the time of the Adria Tour?
- Novak Djokovic
- Grigor Dimitrov
- Borna Coric
- Goran Ivanisevic
- Viktor Troicki (played in Belgrade only)
- Dimitrov’s coach, Kristijan Groh
- Djokovic’s fitness trainer, Marko Paniki
