Serbian epidemiologist: Novak Djokovic was tricked and fooled by government

• Tennis News
• Novak Djokovic

Serbian epidemiologist Zoran Radovanovic absolutely believes world No. 1 Novak Djokovic doesn't deserve to be the only to blame for what happened at the Adria Tour. Djokovic -- the founder of the Adria Tour -- wanted to fulfill his childhood dream of bringing the top tennis players to the Balkans -- and he did so -- but still his idea ended in disaster.

A total of four players who participated at the Adria Tour -- including 17-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic himself -- tested positive for the coronavirus. The Adria Tour events in Belgrade and Zadar featured packed crowds, players shook hands and hugged.

The Adria Tour event organizers later insisted they didn't breach any rules as they claimed to strictly followed the measures issued by the governments in Serbia and Croatia. Epidemiologist Radovanovic suggests Djokovic was tricked and fooled by the government and he wasn't aware of how bad the situation was.

"It all happened because Novak was hooked on thin ice. It was not safe here. The epidemiological situation was much worse than it was shown to him, so he made such a decision. He is guilty only because of his belief in the state and the system.

He could not imagine that our authorities would trick him. He acted on the advice of experts and the authorities, and they fooled him. Here, they also wanted political points from Djokovic, and they did not think about the fact that they would endanger other players and the audience."

Novak Djokovic apologized and admitted mistakes were made

"I'm so deeply sorry our tournament has caused harm.

Everything the organizers and I did the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions," Djokovic said in a social media post. "We believed the tournament met all health protocols and the health of our region seemed in good condition to finally unite for philanthropic reasons.

We were wrong and it was too soon. I can't express how sorry I'm for this and every case of infection. "If you attended Adria Tour or were around any attendees please get tested and practice social distancing. For those in Belgrade and Zadar, we will be sharing health resources in the immediate future.

"The rest of the tournament has been cancelled and we will remain focused on all those who have been affected. I pray for everyone's full recovery." Novak Djokovic is self isolating with his wife and they are both recovering well after testing positive for the coronavirus.