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“Djokovic Annoys Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer…” : Novak Djokovic’s Grandfather Opens up on Adria Tour Criticism

Published 07/20/2020, 7:48 AM EDT

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It has been over a month since the Adria Tour happened. The ill-fated tour was widely talked about. World No.1 Novak Djokovic had organized it, subsequently facing severe criticism for the debacle.

The tour organizers did not take into account the need for social distancing and masks. And there were huge crowds at the stadium, not following safety and health precautions. The tour resulted in four players, including Novak Djokovic, contracting the coronavirus. Djokovic later did apologize for the tour and said that it happened despite good intentions.

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“Novak Djokovic is better and more famous than everyone who insults him” – Zdenko Zagar

Djokovic’s grandfather, Zdenko Zagar, has come out to support his grandson amid all the criticism Djokovic received for the Adria Tour.

According to the Spanish Website AS, Zagar says Djokovic has been criticized excessively. He mentions that anything could have happened on the tour. He always believes in his grandson and knew he would come out of this mess safely.

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“The tournament was played in the open air. There is no way Djokovic took the coronavirus there! I was there too and did not catch it. I was scared when I found out that he got infected. But I knew he was strong enough to receive the attacks he had received.”

(Note: The quotes are translations from Spanish using Google Translate)

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He labels the excessive criticism as ‘dirty thoughts.’ Zagar also says that Novak is more famous than everyone who insults him. He further expresses that people target his grandson because he beats the top players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and is currently ruling the roost at the top.

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“I know why he is constantly criticized. They are dirty thoughts. The only reason I can think of to criticize him is for being Serbian when many do not know where Serbia and Belgrade are. He is better and more famous than everyone who insults him. Everything is explained because Djokovic annoys Nadal, Federer, and the other 20 who are below him. I’m not going to comment on it. I should ignore them.”

Zagar is frustrated with all the negative attention showered on his grandson. Djokovic will want to leave all this behind and only focus on making a positive resumption to the calendar.

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Written by:

Bhavishya Mittal

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Bhavishya Mittal is a tennis author for EssentiallySports, who is currently pursuing his Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Manipal University. A former sports editor for The Manipal Journal, Bhavishya has also worked for The New Indian Express. He has a keen eye for many sports but he is a particularly ardent follower of tennis, with a zest to create riveting articles on the ever-evolving sport.
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