This archive report was first published on 23 June 2020.
Paris, France, June 22 - The tennis world is reeling after three top players, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric, and Viktor Troicki, tested positive for coronavirus following an exhibition tournament in the Balkans.
The tournament, organized by Novak Djokovic, featured world number one Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Marin Cilic, Alexander Zverev, and Filip Krajinovic, among others.
Coric, ranked 33rd in the world, revealed on Monday that he had tested positive for COVID-19, with Troicki confirming the news several hours later.
Dimitrov, who had pulled out of the tournament after feeling unwell, announced on Sunday that he had also tested positive.
Coric took to Twitter to apologize for any harm he may have caused and to urge anyone who had been in contact with him to get tested.
“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 had beaten Dimitrov in the second leg of the Adria Tour in Zadar on Croatia’s Adriatic coast on Saturday.
One of Djokovic’s coaches and another member of Dimitrov’s entourage have reportedly tested positive for the virus, according to Croatia’s N1 television channel.
Thiem, Cilic, and Zverev have all tested negative for the virus, with Zverev apologizing for any risk he may have posed by playing in the tournament.
The Adria Tour had been organized to fill the gap in the virus-hit tennis calendar, which has been on ice since mid-March.
The tournament had already suffered an embarrassing setback when the planned Montenegro leg was cancelled due to health requirements not matching up.
Commenting on social distancing measures during the Belgrade leg, Djokovic argued that both Serbia and the region had been relatively successful in containing the virus.
“Of course you can criticise, you can also say this is dangerous or not, but it’s not up to me to make the calls what is health-wise right or wrong,” he stated.
However, the US Open in New York will be played behind closed doors and under strict health protocols, which Djokovic has described as “extreme” and “impossible”.
