[imagesource: AFP]

Novak Djokovic might be the world’s top-ranked tennis player, but he wouldn’t be anywhere near the top of the popularity rankings.

Or, as he is now known, Novaxx Djocovid.

Earlier this week, the Aria Tour, which the Serb set up as a way of reintroducing tennis to the Balkans, came to a grinding halt after a number of players and trainers tested positive.

Despite having been in close contact with two of the players that tested positive, Borna Coric and Grigor Dimitrov, Djokovic left the official event hotel in the Croatian city of Zadar and returned to Belgrade, declining to be tested.

He said he did not feel any symptoms, but then announced on Tuesday that he did have the coronavirus, along with his wife, Jelena.

What angered so many people, and fellow tennis pros, is the absolute lack of regard some players and officials on the tour showed to basic safety measures like physical distancing.

When you consider some of Djokovic’s public statements on COVID-19, and his willingness to believe claims that defy basic science, that anger is only intensified.

Here he is, partying alongside other players and members of the public, in a Belgrade club during one of the tennis tour’s stops:

The song in background: “A little party never killed nobody. We gonna dance until we drop.”

The irony … #Djokovic pic.twitter.com/EKZJiygBGN

— Georgia BM (@georgia_bm_) June 23, 2020

Yeah, the irony is rich.

In his initial statement announcing that he had tested positive, along with his wife, Djokovic was contrite, saying “I am extremely sorry for each individual case of infection”, and “I hope that it will not complicate anyone’s health situation and that everyone will be fine”.

Enter his father, Srdjan, who then turned things into a blame game. Below from the Guardian:

Srdjan…tried to shift the blame for the fiasco on to Grigor Dimitrov, the first of three other players to test positive for coronavirus in Croatia, where the two-week tour was abandoned minutes before the final on Sunday.

“How did the infection come about?” Djokovic Sr said on RTL’s Croatian TV network. “Probably because Dimitrov arrived sick, from who knows where. He was not tested in Zadar, but somewhere else. I don’t think that’s right. He brought great harm to you in Croatia, and to us as a family, and to Serbia.”

Right then, the battle lines were drawn.

Georgi Stoimenov, Dimitrov’s agent, was next up to the mic:

“Grigor landed directly in Belgrade after three months of complete isolation. Neither in Belgrade [the first stop] nor later in Zadar was he offered or required to test for coronavirus. The event organisers are the ones responsible.”

Busting out the victim card, Djokovic’s mother, Dijana, said “it is horrible what is being written, but we are used to it.”

The world number one is actually the president of the ATP player council, and there are now calls for him to step down from that position.

Paul Annacone, who has coached Roger Federer and Andy Murray, said Djokovic’s “passion to do something good clouded all the information”, and now “you have 500 players around the world on razor’s edge, hoping they can play in eight weeks [at the US Open]”.

Guido Pella, ranked 35th in the world, was very forthright:

“He played with many people’s health and crossed a line from which it will be challenging to return, disrespecting the world of tennis and the entire planet. I don’t know how he’s going to get out of this.”

Having called the decision to set up the tour “boneheaded”, Australian Nick Kyrgios continued to dish out criticism to Djokovic on Twitter:

Prayers up to all the players that have contracted Covid – 19. Don’t @ me for anything I’ve done that has been ‘irresponsible’ or classified as ‘stupidity’ – this takes the cake. https://t.co/lVligELgID

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) June 23, 2020

Zing.

Back in the day, I found Djokovic’s on-court antics rather endearing, but he has spent the last few months burning through any goodwill he may have earned over the years.

Only his diehard fans will remain, and there are plenty of other players to root for.

Hell, I’ll even cheer for Andy bloody Murray before I cheer for Novak again.

[source:guardian]