After several weeks in which tennis fans have had to wait for live action, suddenly the reality of players taking to the court have filled many with revulsion, shock and sadness.

In a post-COVID world, and before a vaccine has been developed and released, the idea of a tennis tournament with fans in attendance was something of a dream, but reactions to last week’s Adria Cup have made the festivities something of a nightmare, including for the current world number one, Novak Djokovic.

Just weeks ago, Djokovic was, of course, sounding like he might well be against the return of U.S. Open tennis, which, if it goes ahead as planned, will commence in August. Djokovic argued that the testing side of the game was not something he was in alignment with, and therefore he might not attend. Setting aside the fact that the U.S. Open would struggle for viewing figures if Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer follow Djokovic in missing out on Flushing Meadow this time round, Djokovic has now proved that it’s not tennis or crowds that he minds at all.

The Adria Cup festivities this weekend including many things, but a game of football with as close contact as there can be within the laws of the game, a dance-off at a piano and a tennis tournament with packed stands were all on the cards.