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Former Australian Open semifinalist Nicolas Kiefer said he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Novak Djokovic partying along with Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem in Serbia. The German tennis player slammed the trio and said that their behavior in Belgrade was not well-received in Germany.
Talking to Eurosport on Thursday (18th June), the former World No. 4 complained about how Novak Djokovic organized the first leg of the Adria Tour without any regard to social distancing norms. Although Novak Djokovic has since clarified that they followed all the rules laid down by the government, Kiefer believes the players didn't set the right example for others to follow.
I was totally surprised and shocked: Kiefer reacts to Novak Djokovic's party video
The 46-year-old tennis player, who retired from the sport almost a decade ago, criticized Novak Djokovic and the other participants of the Adria Tour heavily. Kiefer said:
"Thousands of spectators attended the tournament in Belgrade. In addition, Zverev, Thiem and Djokovic, among others, celebrated in the disco as if nothing were happening."
He further described how the video left him shocked.
"What Zverev and the other tennis professionals did was certainly not well received in Germany. I was totally surprised and shocked when I saw the video," he added.
The Novak Djokovic-organized tourney has received criticism from all corners of the world. Many fans believe that the top players of the world should have given an example of how the organizers can conduct tennis tourneys, by following all the social distancing protocols at the same time. What they saw in Belgrade, however, was the opposite.
Djokovic, the 2020 Australian Open champion, believes that the situation in Belgrade is much better than the West and so social distancing is not that necessary, But not everyone is convinced.
Novak Djokovic reaches Croatia for the second phase of the Adria Tour
Novak Djokovic and Co have sent a loud and clear message to the entire tennis community that the Adria Tour will continue no matter how the others feel about it. The head of the organizing team, Djokovic, reached Croatia to ensure that the second leg of the tour takes place smoothly.
Dominic Thiem, the winner of the Belgrade leg, has left the competition, but former US Open winner Marin Cilic will replace him. Borna Coric will also join the tourney during the second leg.
Novak Djokovic suffered a shock loss at the hands of Filip Krajinovic in Serbia. The World No. 1 will be keen to regain the momentum that he had in the early half of the year and dominate his opponents in Zadar.
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