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Novak Djokovic's Adria Tour of exhibition tournaments came to a grinding halt during its second stage in Zadar, Croatia, after Grigor Dimitrov tested positive for COVID-19.
Tournament director Goran Ivanisevic (who is also part of Novak Djokovic's coaching staff) announced to the crowd ahead of the final that the event had been cancelled due to Dimitrov's positive test. Since then, it has also come to light that hometown favourite and Dimitrov's opponent in the group stage Borna Coric has tested positive for coronavirus too.
Many have taken to social media to criticize what they considered to be an irresponsible decision by the World No. 1 to host the Adria Tour with full crowds and no social distancing precautions. One such critic is tennis pro Noah Rubin, who expressed his dismay at the players testing positive and slammed the event overall.
The American said: "It’s just not okay. Reckless and disappointing that they thought tennis deserved the risk."
Rubin had highlighted the potential dangers of playing the Adria Tour with fan attendance a week ago, and had also criticized Novak Djokovic for failing to understand the risks.
Immediately after Dimitrov's announcement, Rubin reinforced his reservations about the entire tournament while also expressing hope that the Bulgarian recovered quickly.
Rubin had also previously criticized Novak Djokovic for his comments on the US Open, as well as for refusing to show up for an important all-player Zoom call despite being the President of the Player's Council.
Rubin finally quoted a tweet by a Novak Djokovic fan that seemed to suggest the Serb could commit any number of transgressions but still be the GOAT. The American qualified his comment by saying "some tweets don't deserve responses".
What's next for Novak Djokovic and the Adria Tour?
The Adria Tour came to Zadar, Croatia after a very successful first stage in Novak Djokovic's hometown of Belgrade, Serbia. The first stage featured the likes of Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Grigor Dimitrov and Jelena Jankovic, along with the Serb himself, with Thiem picking up the trophy after defeating Filip Krajinovic in the final.
But Montenegro subsequently backed out of the tournament citing safety concerns, with the government refusing to grant permission for an event with spectators. And now after the controversy surrounding the players that have tested positive, speculation is rife that the final leg of the Adria Tour - set to take place in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina - will be called off.
It has since been reported that despite his fitness trainer also testing positive for COVID-19, Novak Djokovic decided against getting tested himself while in Zadar. He has instead chosen to cross border lines and go to Belgrade, to consult with his doctor.
Predictably, many have taken to Twitter to slam the World No. 1 for his lack of responsibility in these trying times. Some of them - including tennis players themselves - have reacted not just to the players testing positive, but also for hosting the tour in the first place.
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