Hosted and funded by the Serb and members of his family, the event was controversial from the very start, with maximum capacity crowds ad no social distancing norms. That eventually led to four players - Borna Coric, Grigor Dimitrov, Viktor Troicki and Novak Djokovic himself - along with tournament director Goran Ivanisevic, testing positive for COVID-19.
Amid vast media outrage over the incident Novak Djokovic has defended himself strongly, claiming there is a ‘witch-hunt’ against him. He has also contributed generously to coronavirus-relief efforts throughout the pandemic, and has now elaborated on why helping those in need is second nature to him.
A state of emergency is normal for Serbs: Novak Djokovic
Speaking during interviews given in Serbian (translated here), Novak Djokovic emphasized on the importance of empathy and kindness. He also explained how the situation in Belgrade was markedly different than that in Spain, where the Serb had spent a majority of his time during the lock-down.
The World No. 1 touched upon his poverty-stricken upbringing in the 1990s, attributing it as the reason why he feels the constant urge to help the less privileged.
Djokovic further went on to say that at a time of ’emergency’, it is even more crucial to give back to society.
Djokovic then spoke about how Serbians are accustomed to such trying times, having lived through a lifetime of war and destruction.
Before it came to an abrupt end, the Adria Tour was set to take place in different venues across the Balkans region, in countries that were all part of the former Yugoslavia. It started in Belgrade, Serbia, before moving to Zadar, Croatia, and was then set to be played in Montenegro before reaching its conclusion in Banja Luka (Bosnia and Herzegovina).
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