The evident increase in positives for Covid-19 in the Balkan region, from Bulgaria to Bosnia or Montenegro, forced Croatia to restrict access to citizens from Serbia at its borders. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic was also criticized for not isolating himself in quarantine, despite having attended the Adria Tour last weekend in Zadar, where he was in contact with Novak Djokovic . They are just two examples of how the case of the 'number one' of the ATP has transcended sport to achieve geopolitics.

The atmosphere seems to have been poisoned in the surroundings of 'Nole', still reluctant to take full responsibility for organizing the Adria Tour. So far, only Dominic Thiem , who only participated in the first weekend in Belgrade, has wanted to present something similar to a sincere apology. "It is evident that we were too optimistic. Our behavior was a mistake and we acted with too much euphoria," admitted the number three of the ranking on Thursday.

The Austrian, who two months ago sparked a controversy regarding the distribution of aid during the pandemic, confessed that he had been "in shock" when receiving the news of the contagions, although he also insisted that they always heeded the "orders of the Serbian government. " "The tournament had been organized for humanitarian purposes, but everything turned in the wrong direction, towards a bad publicity show. And Djokovic has to be blamed for that. It was an unnecessary event," revealed Herwig Straka , representative of Thiem, in the newspaper. Austrian Der Standard .

"The only thing that bothers me ..."

Complaints about the absence of the most basic epidemiological measures, such as face masks or hydroalcoholic gel in Zadar, reached Nikolina Babic , President of the Croatian Federation. However, the live show seemed immune to attack. "We enjoyed tennis for which in another situation we should have paid 10 million euros," replied the manager, after stressing that it was an "unrepeatable opportunity" for his country, double champion of the Davis Cup (2005 and 2018).

In addition, the great Croatian tennis idol, Goran Ivanisevic , is part of the Djokovic coaching staff, making the matter even more tangled. "We feel responsible because it was very serious. The only thing that bothers me is that we are the only ones to blame," snapped the left-hander, Wimbledon champion in 2001.

Point Dimitrov

That obsession with a hostile environment seems to hover over Djokovic's own family. "It is terrible and terrifying what they write, but we are used to it. It is as if they could hardly wait for something to happen to jump," said Dijana , the mother of 'Nole' in the Serbian newspaper Novosti . Her husband Srdjan had not hesitated to personally point to Grigor Dimitrov . "No one knows where it was infected, but it has caused great damage to Croatia, Serbia and my family. It should have been examined in his country of origin," he said of the Bulgarian.

Just a few hours later, Dimitrov's representative answered with a series of accusations that called the Adria Tour into question. "After three months of complete isolation, Grigor landed directly in Belgrade, but neither there nor in Zadar was he forced or offered the possibility of taking a test," confirmed Georgi Stoimenov . "The organizers were the only ones responsible for the security regulations and we just followed their instructions," the Bulgarian agent concluded.

Novak obviously bothers them

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