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After pledging to self-isolate, top-10 tennis player Alexander Zverev seen partying on video

jack baer
Staff writer
·3 min read

A gut check for the tennis community on the dangers of coronavirus might have only been a glancing blow to some.

The Adria Tour, an exhibition tournament in Eastern Europe organized in Novak Djokovic, came to a premature end last week when Grigor Dimitrov and two other players tested positive for coronavirus. Soon after, Djokovic and his wife also tested positive after he was seen out partying with Dimitrov.

The event was a lesson in how quickly the coronavirus can spread if people aren’t exercising proper social distancing guidelines. Even before the positive tests, the event was criticized for not taking common sense precautions. Fans packed the stands, and masks were in short supply among players.

One of the tournament’s participants, German player Alexander Zverev, later tweeted a statement pledging to self-isolate on advice from doctors.

Six days later, Zverev was doing ... this.

That would be the ATP No. 7 player at a crowded event, without a mask, surrounded by dozens of people, less than a week after attending an event where several people contracted a virus with an incubation period of as long as two weeks. The video comes from a since-deleted Instagram story obtained by tennis writer Ben Rothenberg.

Rothernberg later tweeted another angle of the event, saying there is “no doubt” it was Zverev partying on Sunday.

Germany's Alexander Zverev reacts during the match against Serbia's Novak Djokovic, of the Adria Tour charity tournament in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, June 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Alexander Zverev didn't self-isolate for long. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Zverev isn’t the only Adria Tour participant to go back to his old ways less than a week later. No. 3 player Dominic Thiem, who also apologized after the positive tests, has already started playing exhibition events again, per Tennis.com.

Nick Kyrgios to Zverev: ‘How selfish can you get?’

The videos drew swift condemnation from fans, but only a few player spoke up about the matter. The harshest words came from Australian Nick Kyrgios, who has been vocal about the tennis world’s handling of COVID-19.

Warning, the video contains some NSFW language.

Kyrgios’ full comments:

I see more controversial things happening all over the world, but one that stuck out for me was seeing Sascha Zverev, again man, again. Again. How selfish can you be? How selfish can you be?

If you have the audacity to f---ing put out a tweet that you made your management write on your behalf saying you're going to self-isolate for 14 days, and apologizing to the f---ing general public for putting their health at risk, at least have the audacity to stay inside for 14 days. My god. Have your girlfriend with you for f---ing 14 days.

Jesus man, this tennis world is p---ing me off, seriously. How selfish can you all get?

Another player, England’s Katie Boulter, tweeted that she was speechless seeing the Zverev video.

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