'We didn't cross the line' - Novak Djokovic responds to Adria Tour criticism

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has responded to all the criticism that he received for not following social distancing rules during the Adria Tour in Belgrade. According to the 17-time Grand Slam Champion, Serbia's situation is not so severe as that in the western part of the world, so there wasn't any need for stringent restrictions during the event.

Talking to Eurosport on Thursday (18th June), Novak Djokovic spoke at length about the Adria Tour and its rules of conduct. He stressed that the organizers and the players followed all the regulations laid down by the local government, and also termed the Belgrade leg of the tour a 'success.'

Some of the top players of Europe joined Novak Djokovic in Belgrade

Novak Djokovic admitted that people from USA and Britain would have a lot of questions about safety measures after seeing the massive crowd in Belgrade. However, he argued that the COVID-19 situation is much better in Serbia than in other nations.

The 2020 Australian Open winner said:

"I know there has been some criticism, especially from the West," Djokovic said. "Why do we have viewers there? Why is there no social distancing? Why is this kind of event taking place while there is a serious pandemic in the West?"

"It is not easy to explain to people that the situation in the United States or Great Britain is completely different from that in Serbia or the surrounding countries," the 33-year-old continued.

We followed the rules and measures laid down by government: Novak Djokovic

Pianist Lola Astanova also appeared at the Novak Djokoic-organized event

Novak Djokovic is confident that the players or staff didn't overstep their boundaries during the event. The Serbian government permitted the organizers to conduct the matches normally, and Djokovic stressed that they followed the rules to the T.

"We followed the rules and measures laid down by the government and public health institutions from day one," Novak Djokovic said. "We didn't cross the line. We went through all these processes, and the overall result was fantastic."

Djokovic also thanked the trio of Dominic Thiem, Grigor Dimitrov and Alexander Zverev for coming to Belgrade and entertaining the fans. The Austrian star Thiem emerged victorious in the Adria Tour's first leg with a 4-3 (7: 2), 2-4, 4-2 win in the final against Filip Krajinovic.

"Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, and Grigor Dimitrov came to Belgrade. All three were impressed and took only the best impressions home," Novak Djokovic said.

The 2016 French Open winner said that the tournament was a success, and added he was looking forward to the next phases of the Adria Tour.

"I am grateful to everyone who was involved in the organization. It normally takes at least five or six months to set up an event like this. We did it in three or four weeks. It's a huge success. I think it is important that we move forward wherever we can. To allow players to play, make money, and make a living from their sport at regional, continental, or intercontinental level as soon as possible," Djokovic signed off.