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Serbian PM throws weight behind under-fire Djokovic

By IANS | Updated: June 30, 2020 14:46 IST

Belgrade, June 30 World No.1 tennis player Novak Djokovic has found support in his country's Prime Minister Ana ...

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Belgrade, June 30 World No.1 tennis player Novak Djokovic has found support in his country's Prime Minister Ana Brnabic who has backed the Serbian after he was heavily criticised following the Adria Open fiasco.

"Every part of him. He tried to do something good for the whole region," Brnabic said in an interview with PinkTV.

"To put politics aside and help young and non-established tennis players, as well as to raise money for humanitarian purposes.

"If they could shift the blame on me personally, as Prime Minister, and leave Novak alone, I would love it," she added.

Earlier, Manchester United and Serbian footballer Nemanja Matic also launched a passionate defense of compatriot Djokovic.

Djokovic, Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Victor Troicki all tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the Belgrade leg of the exhibition event recently.

Djokovic's wife had also been diagnosed with COVID-19 and also NBA star Nikola Jokic, who attended the event in the capital city of Serbia.

Matic, however, came to the aid of under-fire Djokovic and stated everything was going normally in Serbia and it wasn't Djokovic's fault that so many people ended up contracting the virus.

"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," Matic told Sky Sports.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: Ana brnabicNovak DjokovicNBAManchester UnitedSerbiaBelgradeThe national basketball associationPlayers' associationNational authorityThe national authority
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