Jun 16, 2020 - At the end of this week, Zadar will be the sports center of the world, assures Novak Djokovic ahead of the Adria Tour tennis spectacle at SC Visnjik.
Jutarnji List reports that after Belgrade, Djokovic's Adria Tour will be held in Zadar from June 19 to 21, as part of which tennis stars such as Dominik Thiem, Aleksandar Zverev, and Grigor Dimitrov will come to Croatia. They will be joined by Croatian aces Marin Cilic and Borna Coric and many other tennis players and friends united by a humanitarian goal.
Since the coronavirus epidemic has calmed in the Balkans, today's best tennis player is spending his time on tennis courts, but also in meetings, because as the organizer of a tennis tournament, which is held in several countries, his hands are full.
"When the epidemic started, I was in daily contact with the players as well as with friends from the tennis federation. As time went on, the idea of organizing tournaments throughout the region began to crystallize, to allow tennis to live on after all. We followed the situation and realized that it was possible. And so it all began. With a lot of work, a lot of organization, and details, we set off.
At the end of the week, we started with the tournament in Belgrade and this week, we are in Zadar, later in Banja Luka and Sarajevo. As I am telling you this, I’m waiting to go out on the court and I’m so excited and happy that I can’t even describe it to you. It is unreal for me that at this time of year, in my city, in the whole region, I have the opportunity to play tennis with tennis players from the very top of the world, with my friends. This is a unique experience," said Djokovic in an exclusive interview for Jutarnji List just a few days before the spectacle in Zadar, in the newly opened regional center of the Croatian Tennis Federation.
"The tennis players who will be performing are all my friends, guys I get along great with, on and off the court. They were the only ones who could come, because it is not easy to get to Serbia or Zadar at this moment. In addition, both Dominik, Alexander and Georgi accepted the fact that this is a charity tournament, and this probably further prompted them to participate. Borna, Marin, Damir Džumhur - I agreed with them the fastest, because we have already been in our homes and cities, and of course, we understand this opportunity differently so that the whole world looks at our region across those days. That is a significant thing," Djokovic explains. Namely, as many as 110 countries will broadcast the Adria Tour tournament.
Nole, as his relatives and fans in his native Serbia call him, is of Montenegrin origin on his father Srdjana's side, and his mother, Dijana, is a Croat from Vinkovci. However, the tennis star had never been to Zadar, although he often spends his summers on the Adriatic.
"I really like the Adriatic, and I love the Croatian coast, generally the smell of the sea, pine forests. It has remained in my memory since I was little. We haven’t made a plan yet where we’re going this summer, as we don’t know anything. First of all, I am looking forward to coming and being in Zadar for the first time. I am grateful to all the tennis players who responded, to the Croatian Tennis Federation, to everyone in the organization, to the musicians who responded to the media, and I can't wait to go out on the court. This tournament will send a wonderful, strong and positive message to the whole world because Zadar will be the sports center of the world over those days," Djokovic emphasizes.
Namely, the first evening will be opened with a musical performance by Zlatan Stipisic Gibonni, on Saturday Petar Graso announced a dance spectacle, and on Sunday, a surprise guest awaits the visitors of the tournament.
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