NOVAK'S DOUBLE FAULT

The tennis player ignored social distancing guidelines, then went ahead with a tournament that ended in multiple Covid infections

- JANE VORSTER

IT’S one of the most infectious viruses the world has ever seen and nobody is immune – not princes, pop stars or even healthy and ultra-fit tennis stars such as Novak Djokovic. But if the Serbian tennis ace was expecting sympathy when he recently announced he’d tested positive for Covid-19, he was in for a nasty surprise.

Instead of feeling sorry for him, the general consensus among fans and fellow players is that the World No 1 only has himself to blame for the fact that he got infected.

That’s because in the weeks leading up to his diagnosis, social media was flooded with pictures showing exactly what Novak (33) was getting up to.

Partying in packed nightclubs, signing autographs for fans, playing basketball with pals and exchanging sweaty hugs with players in packed stadiums at a high-profile exhibition tournament he’d organised with hardly a mask in sight – what was he thinking? It’s like he’d never heard of the coronavirus.

Although the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body that oversees the sport, has suspended all matches, Novak was determined his Adria Tour was going to go ahead. It would be fun for fans, he argued, plus he promised to donate some of the takings to help those affected by the pandemic.

And he had enough clout to convince other players, including members of the world’s top 10 such as Austria’s Dominic Thiem, Germany’s Alex Zverev and Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov to join him for the controversial series in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia.

The tour kicked off in Novak’s hometown, Belgrade, where players competed in sold-out stadiums with ball boys on hand to bring them drinks and hand them towels.