Pierre-Hugues Herbert explains why he is defending Novak Djokovic

French tennis player Pierre-Hugues Herbert has come to the defense of Novak Djokovic as he insists the world No. 1 had good intentions when he organized the Adria Tour but unfortunately it ended in disaster.

Upon returning to Serbia in May following a two-month quarantine in Marbella, Djokovic launched the Adria Tour and revealed that his plan was to visit four counties in the Balkans. 

The Serb -- whose childhood dream was to bring the biggest tennis names to his hometown Serbia one day-- announced the Adria Tour would be a charity event as he had to invest a lot of money to make his dream possible. 

17-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic failed to win it all in the first leg of the Adria Tour in Belgrade but he broke down in tears of happiness after his childhood dream was fulfilled. 

Unfortunately for the Serb, a week later in Zadar a disaster happened as the final of the event was called off after Grigor Dimitrov tested positive for the coronavirus.

"I was happy that tennis was played again. It should have been a spectacle. In the end, it unfortunately turned into a nightmare," Hebert told Aargauer Zeitung.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert says Djokovic deserves more credit 

A total of four players who participated at the Adria Tour -- including Djokovic himself -- tested positive for the coronavirus.

After Djokovic, Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki tested positive for the coronavirus, the Adria Tour organizers decided to cancel the rest of the event. 

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

After the events that happened at the Adria Tour, some have called for ATP Player Council President Djokovic to be relieved from his duties.

But former doubles world No. 2 Herbert says Djokovic has done a lot of positive things and he wants to to help the game. 

"Novak has a lot of ideas. It is clear that not everyone likes them. But he spends a lot of time on tennis and us players. That's why I'm defending him," Herbert insisted.

After testing positive for the coronavirus last Tuesday, record eight-time Australian Open champion Djokovic and his wife are recovering well and showing no symptoms, per Sport Klub.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert has played only once against Djokovic as the Frenchman lost to the Serb when they met at the Paris Masters in 2013.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2YPh7u6