Covid-19 Positive Novak Djokovic Donates 40,000 Euros To Serbian Town Badly Hit By Coronavirus Outbreak

Djokovic who usually hogs the limelight for the right reasons had to face a lot of criticism for holding a regional tournament in Belgrade in mid-June, which eventually had to be cut short post a slew of COVID-19 infections to players taking part in the tourney.

Photo: AFP

World number one ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic, who tested positive for coronavirus last week, has donated more than 40,000 Euros ($45,000) to a town in his native nation Serbia, which has been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic According to a report in a local media, the 33-year-old Serbian tennis ace donated the money to Novi Pazar, a small town in Serbia's southwest, to help the township fight a outbreak of the highly contagious virus, the SportKlub TV sports channel reported. The Serbian town declared a state of emergency in late June due to the spread of the coronavirus. After restricting the first wave of the deadly COVID-19 in early May, Serbia has now witnessed a fresh surge, logging more than 200 cases daily recently compared to around 50 a month ago. Djokovic who usually hogs the limelight for the right reasons had to face a lot of criticism for holding a regional tournament in Belgrade in mid-June, which eventually had to be cut short post a slew of COVID-19 infections to players taking part in the tourney. Besides Djokovic three other tennis players -- Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki -- who participated in the Adria tour, as well as his coach Goran Ivanisevic, tested positive. Players had embraced across the net, played basketball and even danced in a nightclub the week of the first leg played in Belgrade. Djokovic was widely criticised for hosting the tournament. The Serbian issued an unstinting apology for the now-cancelled Adria Tour, where social distancing was minimal and matches were played in front of thousands of fans. Djokovic said he was "so deeply sorry" that the tournament "caused harm". His wife Jelena also tested positive.