Tennis tournament French Open, May 29, 2023, Paris. Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic.
Paris – Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic wrote a controversial message about Kosovo on the television camera after winning the Roland Garros on Monday. Officials of the Paris Grand Slam said that the famous player will not be punished for his political statement.
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“Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence,” Serbian Djokovic wrote on camera after his 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 first-round victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic of the US, who happens to be the son of Serbian parents.
Djokovic was reacting to events in the north of Kosovo, where representatives of the strong Serbian minority protested against the new mayors from the Albanian parties in recent days. They won the municipal elections, which, however, were boycotted by the local Serbs. During clashes in the town of Zvečan, where Djokovic's father grew up, fifty protesters and thirty members of KFOR units were injured on Monday. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Serbia still considers it part of its territory.
“As the son of a man born in Kosovo, I feel I have to express my support to my people and all of Serbia,” Djokovic told reporters in Paris. “My position is clear: I am against wars, violence and any type of conflict, which I have always stated publicly. I can empathize with all people, but the situation in Kosovo represents a precedent in international law,” he added.
Representatives The organizers, the French Tennis Federation (FFT), told Reuters that they would not consider Djokovic's political message. “There are no official Grand Slam rules regarding what players can and cannot say. The FFT will not comment or take a position on this matter.”
Djokovic's family has already caused political controversy at the last Australian Open Grand Slam. A video appeared on social networks in which the tennis player's father Srdjan poses with fans holding the Russian flag and chanting pro-Russian slogans. One of the best players in history then publicly defended his father and stated that he had been abused by people asking for a photo together.
