June 25, 2020 - Tournament director Goran Ivanisevic hits back at critics of Novak Djokovic after the coronavirus outbreak at the Adria Tour in Zadar.
The final of the Adria Tour in Zadar was canceled when it was learned that Bulgarian player Grigor Dimitrov tested positive for the coronavirus. Panic ensued, and the tournament could not go on. Everyone who was there was asked to be tested.
Among those infected now are Croatian tennis player Borna Coric, as well as the Adria Tour tournament organizer and number one player in the world, Novak Djokovic, and his wife.
While some consider the main culprit Dimitrov, who kept silent that he wasn't feeling well and did not want to be tested, many are pointing the finger of guilt at Djokovic, who has been the target of severe attacks in recent days. Goran Ivanisevic, who was one of the directors of the tournament, also spoke out, and in conversation with Sportske Novosti, said that he was outraged by the number of attacks on Djokovic, as reported by T.portal.
"It is easy to be a general after a battle. Now everyone is very smart. A lot of them attack Novak, it’s very popular, as if they could hardly wait for his wrong move. He tried to do something big that had a humanitarian character after we were all imprisoned for three months," said Ivanisevic.
The legendary Croatian tennis player admits that the party in Belgrade was excessive and that they were carried away by the atmosphere. The parties were considered the source of the focus in Zadar, but Goran disagrees.
"I can accept that we didn’t need it, but all the players are there for themselves. No one forced anyone to come to that club, no one was forced to dance or take off their T-shirts," says Ivanisevic and adds: "Again, how can anyone say that the infection started from there? Marco Panichi, Novak’s fitness trainer, wasn’t even at the party. I was with him in Belgrade every day for almost two weeks, and he tested positive, while I tested negative twice. Can anyone explain that to me? Or that Miljan Amanovic, Novak's physiotherapist, treated Grigor Dimitrov's elbow in Zadar, more than once, and his test was negative?"
Ivanisevic also revealed why Zadar is the main topic, and there are fewer cases of infection there than in other places.
"Zadar is 'attractive' because the most famous ones tested positive there, so now everyone would like to score some points. That's how it goes, and it doesn't matter that there are fewer people infected than in some other cities in Croatia," says Ivanisevic.
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