June 21, 2020 - The final of the Adria Tour in Zadar, in which Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev were supposed to play at 8 pm tonight, has been canceled! Unfortunately, Bulgarian tennis player Grigor Dimitrov, who played one match in the Zadar tournament, has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Index.hr reports that in the last ten days, Dimitrov played in two tournaments with spectators and played football and basketball with Djokovic, Cilic, and Coric. He also spent night outs with other tennis players on the Adria Tour.
At the start of the tournament in Zadar, Croatian tennis player Borna Coric easily defeated Dimitrov, who did not shake hands with the opponent and the referee at the end of the match because he was already feeling ill.
"Hi Everyone-I want to reach out and let my fans and friends know that I tested positive back in Monaco for Covid-19. I want to make sure anyone who has been in contact with me during these past days gets tested and takes the necessary precautions. I am so sorry for any harm I might have caused. I am back home now and recovering. Thanks for your support and please stay safe and healthy. GD," the tennis player wrote on his Instagram page.
Dimitrov is the 19th ranked tennis player in the world, though he was once the third-best in the world. The 29-year-old Bulgarian was nicknamed 'Baby Federer' at an early stage of his career as he had a similar style of play, but he never lived up to those expectations even though he has had a successful career so far. At the tournament in Zadar, he was replaced by Croatian tennis player Nino Serdarusic, a 23-year-old who is the 299th best player in the world.
It is not yet known how the Bulgarian tennis player's illness will affect the tennis season, which should continue with tournaments in America in two months. The organizers of the tournament in Zadar will soon address the public.
"We received information that Grigor was tested in Monaco and that he was positive for the coronavirus. We tried to respect all the measures prescribed by the Serbian and Croatian governments, we gave everything we needed, unfortunately, Grigor is positive. At the moment, we are organizing all health services so that as many people as possible who were in contact with Grigor ar tested. I got in touch with all the volunteers and participants of the tournament and so far no one has any symptoms," said Djorđe Djoković from the organization of the tournament at an extraordinary press conference and added:
"Dimitrov was in Bulgaria before this, we still don't know if he got it there or here. Everyone who was in close contact will be tested. We are waiting for the authorities to give us instructions and we will continue to act accordingly," concluded Novak Djoković's brother.
"This was the only right decision, we had to cancel the final for the health of the players, their families, but also everyone else present. Of course, we will do the tests, I did it three days ago and I was negative myself. I don't know if I will have to be tested again, I will go if necessary," said the tournament director Goran Ivanisevic and added:
"All of this is one big shock, but we made the right decision. Health comes first. As for Grigor, he showed no symptoms. He didn't even have a temperature. Still, he felt bad on Saturday and decided to get tested in Monte Carlo. We don't know where he was infected. In any case, we wish him a speedy recovery."
All tennis players who participated in the tournament, as well as the people who participated in the organization will be tested for COVID-19.
Adria Tour director Đorđe Đoković did not confirm whether the tournament in Banja Luka and the exhibition in Sarajevo would be canceled, but said that he would act in accordance with the recommendations of the competent authorities.
More soon...
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