This archive report was first published on 22 June 2020.
On June 22, 2020, the tennis world was rocked by news of a coronavirus outbreak at an exhibition tournament in Croatia, featuring world number one Novak Djokovic.
Borna Coric, a 33rd-ranked Croatian player, revealed on Twitter that he had tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the second player to do so after Grigor Dimitrov.
Coric's positive test came just a day after Dimitrov announced that he had also tested positive for the virus, following a match against Coric in the Adria Tour in Zadar, Croatia.
Coric's tweet read: 'Hi everyone, I wanted to inform you all that I tested positive for COVID-19. I want to make sure anyone who has been in contact with me during the last few days gets tested! I am really sorry for any harm I might have caused! I'm feeling well and don't have any symptoms. Please stay safe and healthy!'
Coric's positive test has sparked widespread criticism of Djokovic's decision to host the exhibition tournament, which was attended by a daily crowd of 4,000 fans at Djokovic's tennis centre in Belgrade, Serbia.
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios was among those to express his outrage, writing on social media: 'Boneheaded decision to go ahead with the 'exhibition'. Speedy recovery fellas, but that's what happens when you disregard all protocols. This IS NOT A JOKE.'
Other players who participated in the tournament, including world number three Dominic Thiem and seventh-ranked Alexander Zverev, have since tested negative for the virus.
However, the results of any test that Djokovic may have taken are as yet unknown, and his brother, the tournament's director Djordje Djokovic, has said that the 17-time Grand Slam winner had taken the news of Dimitrov's result 'very hard'.
The Adria Tour had been organised to fill the gap in the virus-hit tennis calendar, which has been on ice since mid-March.
