Current world No. 1 in the men’s division and tennis superstar, Novak Djokovic, has tested positive for coronavirus along with his wife, Jelena, after taking part in a tennis exhibition series he organized in Serbia and Croatia.
“The moment we arrived in Belgrade we went to be tested. My result is positive, just as Jelena’s, while the results of our children are negative,” Djokovic said in a statement.
The 33-year-old is the fourth player who participated in that tournament to test positive for the virus, joining Viktor Troicki and his pregnant wife, Grigor Dimitrov, and Borna Coric.
“Everything we did in the past month, we did with a pure heart and sincere intentions. Our tournament meant to unite and share a message of solidarity and compassion throughout the region,” Djokovic said. “I am extremely sorry for each individual case of infection. I hope that it will not complicate anyone’s health situation and that everyone will be fine.”
Djokovic will remain self-isolated for 14 days and will undergo another COVID-19 test on Sunday.
His positive test drew criticism from other tennis stars, most notably Nick Kyrgios, who posted a video of Djokovic recently partying with some of the infected players.
“Prayers up to all the players that have contracted COVID-19,” the oft-controversial star said. “Don’t @ me for anything I’ve done that has been ‘irresponsible’ or classified as ‘stupidity’ — this takes the cake.”
The status of the rest of Djokovic’s season is unknown as of now, but a positive coronavirus test further casts doubt on whether he’ll play at the US Open in Queens, which begins on Aug. 24. Djokovic has been vocal in his uncertainty in playing in the tournament this year, saying it would be impossible to play there because of the “extreme” coronavirus protocols in place.
