'Stop travelling to 15 different countries' - Fans urge Dominic Thiem to self-isolate

The tennis world has been rocked since Sunday, with a number of players testing positive for COVID-19 after participating in the Adria Tour - an exhibition that featured World No. 1 Novak Djokovic as well as World No. 3 Dominic Thiem. The Serbian tennis legend himself announced that both he and his wife Jelena have been found to have contracted the virus, and all the players who participated in the tournament are now self-isolating.

Well, all but one. Dominic Thiem seems to have no intentions of changing his schedule and quarantining himself.

The Austrian, who played the Belgrade leg of the Adria Tour, was in very close contact with Novak Djokovic throughout his weekend in Belgrade. The duo had roamed the streets of Belgrade together along with Alexander Zverev (who tested negative), and had also attended various media events.

Most worryingly, Thiem had exchanged a hug with Grigor Dimitrov - who on Sunday announced that he had tested positive - after finishing their group stage match in the Belgrade leg. Thiem had also tagged along with Djokovic, Zverev, Dimitrov and others in their party at a nightclub in Belgrade.

Dominic Thiem has tested negative thrice, but the danger of false negatives still persists

Thiem was the winner at the Belgrade leg of the Adria Tour

Tennis fans heaved a sign of relief after the Austrian ace tested negative for coronavirus not once, but three times.

Dominic Thiem took his first test when he returned home to Austria after winning the Belgrade leg of the Adria Tour. The three-time Grand Slam finalist then had to take another test when he arrived in Nice for Patrick Mouratoglou's Ultimate Tennis Showdown.

With pressure mounting and questions being asked over his presence on the court even after Dimitrov announced his positive result, Dominic Thiem had to undergo a third COVID test in eight days. All three of Thiem's coronavirus tests returned negative.

But considering the nature of this virus, several tennis fans have urged Thiem to observe prudence and quarantine himself for 14 days, or at least a week - given that Thiem's last exposure to the Adria Tour contagion was one week ago anyway.

On Tuesday, after Novak Djokovic's announcement, fans took to Twitter to express their discomfort at Dominic Thiem still travelling around different countries and refusing to self-isolate.

Tell dominic (and everyone else) to self isolate. A negative test now doesn’t mean no corona at all. Have to wait for at least 14 days after coming in contact with someone who tested positive https://t.co/MP1S0euXKf

— Asparagus Quarantinerer (@samstennis189) June 21, 2020

One particular fan cited a Public Health Organization report to point out that testing negative twice - or as per recent developments, thrice - is no reason to throw caution to the wind. There is always the danger of false negatives, and before Dominic Thiem travels to '15 different countries' (in the words of one Twitter user), it would be prudent for him to observe self-isolation.

It has also been remarked that while Djokovic is receiving his rightful share of criticism, the other participants of his tournament need to be called out too - especially Dominic Thiem, who seems to have totally distanced himself from any responsibility with respect to the Adria Tour.

Press criticizing only Novak (rightfully so) & lumping everyone else together as other top players isn’t sitting right with me. They all should be named and shamed individually. There should be more foucus on someone who’s still travelling around like he wasn’t part of this mess

— Asparagus Quarantinerer (@samstennis189) June 23, 2020

Another fan pointed out the overall reckless behavior of all the Adria Tour stars, including Alexander Zverev. The German was rumored to have been spotted at a coffee shop in Monaco despite announcing that he would be self-isolating.

So Dimitrov continued giving sweaty bro-hugs and refused to get tested even after feeling sick, Novak skipped town without getting tested, Thiem is traveling to 15 different countries to play exos and Zverev is lounging around in coffee shops instead of self-isolating...

— Henry Breadstick (@henrybreadstick) June 23, 2020

There is a common shared sentiment among tennis fans that the Adria Tour and the "extra-curricular" activities that went along with it have damaged the image of the sport. They also feel that any more unwise steps by these global stars would cause significantly more harm.

However, Dominic Thiem has given no indication of budging from his original schedule. It does seem like he will play out his matches at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown as planned.

There have also been no changes in the Austrian's invitational exhibition "Thiem's 7" scheduled to be held from July 7-11 in Kitzbuhel. Dimitrov and Coric - who both tested positive - and Andrey Rublev, who is in quarantine despite testing negative, are all still on the invite list for the tournament.

Dominic Thiem has tested negative for COVID-19 thrice

In a statement released by the organizers of Thiem's 7, it was said that if Dimitrov and Coric show a negative result in the next 14 days, they would be whole-heartedly welcomed to Kitzbuhel.

However, considering the timeline, the organizers seem to be pushing their luck with their cut-off dates. Also, given the backlash they have received in the past couple of days, both Dimitrov and Coric would certainly have reservations on travelling abroad again anytime soon.