'It is not his fault' - Man Utd's Matic defends Novak Djokovic after Adria Tour Covid-19 outbreak
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Updated 29/06/2020 at 17:34 GMT
Novak Djokovic has received the backing of his fellow Serb, Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic, after the Adria Tour was cancelled due to a Covid-19 outbreak.
Novak Djokovic
Image credit: Getty Images
Several players playing during the Balkan tour, including Grigor Dimitrov and Djokovic himself, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, leading to widespread criticism at the lack of social distancing present at the tournament.
However, Matic is at pains to point out that Djokovic was complying with Serbian government regulations at the time and should not be subject to public ire.
"People need to understand that the situation in Serbia was better than here. The country allowed everyone to do whatever they want, everything was open, the shopping centres and the restaurants," he told Sky Sports News.
"So they started to live normal lives because our country was closed for three months completely. You were not allowed to walk on the street, you couldn't leave your home, so it was different than [England].
"But when they opened they said 'you are more than free to do whatever you want'. Before that tournament, there was a game with 20,000 people and nobody said anything about that.
"I just wanted to say that it is not his fault that he made the tournament. He just wanted to help the players play competitions. I don't see that he [did] something wrong."
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