Serbian Prime Minister: Blame me, not Novak Djokovic

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic has come to the defense of fellow compatriot Novak Djokovic as she insists the world No. 1 had only good intentions with his Adria Tour event.

Upon returning to Serbia after a two-month quarantine in Marbella, Djokovic launched the Adria Tour as his goal was to visit for countries in the Balkans with his event. 

The initial goal for the Adria Tour was to make stops in Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia but Montenegro was written off after the organizers couldn't reach an agreement with their government.

The Adria Tour event was held in Serbia and partly in Croatia as the event got cancelled after several players tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Adria Tour events in Belgrade and Zadar featured packed crowds, while players shook hands and hugged.

Djokovic -- who was one of the four players that tested positive for the coronavirus -- received a lot criticism after the events that happened at the Adria Tour.

But the Adria Tour organizers underlined several times they followed the health measures issued by the governments in Serbia and Croatia.

"Full support to Novak Djokovic, to his credit, he tried to do something good, not only for us in Serbia, but also in the region - to put politics aside, to help young tennis players, to raise money for humanitarian purposes, to do something .. Congratulations! Whether it was the right time or not, you can't know with this epidemic, but in any case, the easiest thing is to be the general after the battle and to criticize someone because he had tried to do something good and noble. He invested energy, probably a lot of his money," Brnabic told Pink, as revealed on Mondo.

'Blame me, not Novak Djokovic'

"That (when they blame the government) is the easiest and most beautiful thing for me. if they could put that blame on me personally, as Prime Minister, and leave Novak alone, I would love that so much. It's our fault, we made the measures easier, if we didn't, the tournament wouldn't take place and leave the man alone when he had only tried do do something good and brave, the worst thing is that you have 1,001 people who will criticize what happened from the comfort of their home," Brnabic added.

Novak Djokovic, a 17-time Grand Slam champion, felt well after he tested positive for the coronavirus and apologized for what happened at the Adria Tour.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3gfJZBp