After winning the only completed leg of Novak Djokovic’s chaotic Adria Tour, Dominic Thiem is counting himself lucky that he has so far emerged untouched by the COVID-19 infections which felled other players at the exhibition event.
The Serbian’s spectacle tagged Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki – plus Djokovic and his wife – with positive virus tests and threw a shadow over ambitious plans to relaunch ATP and WTA tennis in August.
Also studying the situation are bosses of the US and French Opens, both of whose grand Slams are due to proceed in the August-October period.
Theim has since tried to make amends:
“I was shocked when I got the news from the Adria Tour,” Austria’s ATP No. 3 said on Instagram.
“We played without an audience (in Belgrade and Zadar, Croatia) for (two) week(ends), so we have been more than happy about the fans at the event.
“We trusted the Serbian Government’s rules but we have been too optimistic. Our behaviour was a mistake, we acted too euphorically. I am extremely sorry.”
Thiem has apparently come up virus free after multiple tests between exhibition tournament sites and his Vienna base.
“I’ve now gotten tested five times within the last 10 days and the result was always negative. I wish everyone who has been infected all the best and a quick recovery.”
Djokovic and his combatative father are copping increasing heat for putting the event together amid the relaxed Serbian social distancing standards.
The tournament full of fans sitting close to each other just like in the “good old days” was abruptly cancelled at the weekend in Croatia when the Dimitrov positive test emerged.
