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Novak Djokovic appears to break lockdown rules in Spain

The world number one posted a video on Instagram showing him exchanging shots with another man at a tennis club in the coastal city of Marbella

Tuesday 05 May 2020 08:40 BST
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Coronavirus: How has sport been affected?

Novak Djokovic has appeared to break coronavirus lockdown rules in Spain by returning to the tennis court on Monday.

The world number one posted a video on Instagram showing him exchanging shots with another man at a tennis club in the coastal city of Marbella, where the Serb has reportedly stayed.

Djokovic filmed the video while hitting shots and wrote he was “so happy to play on clay .. well, just for a bit with my phone in the hands.”

On Monday Spain loosened some of the lockdown measures that had been in place since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, allowing professional athletes to return to practice.

But sports facilities are supposed to remain closed at least until next week in most parts of the country, with the exception of training centres for teams in professional leagues in sports such as football.

The Spanish tennis federation said in a statement on Monday that professional players in Spain were allowed to exercise by themselves or with a coach, but not yet on a tennis court. It said it would work on a set of guidelines to inform players and clubs about what they would be permitted to do beginning next week.

The federation’s statement did not appear to be related to Djokovic’s appearance on the court in Marbella.

Requests for comment made to the federation and to Djokovic’s staff late on Monday were not immediately answered.

It was not clear if Djokovic would be subjected to fines or sanctions if it was confirmed he broke the lockdown rules.

Djokovic recently said he was against taking an anti-coronavirus vaccination if it became mandatory to travel once the pandemic subsides, though he later said he was open to changing his mind.

Spain was one of the hardest hit countries by the pandemic but it started loosening some of its restrictions on movement as the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 started to go down in recent weeks. The country went into a lockdown on March 14.

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