“Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence.” Before leaving the court of Philippe-Chatrier, after sending off the American Alexander Kovacevich (6-3, 6-2, 7-6), also of Serbian origin, on Monday, May 29, in the first round of Roland-Garros, Novak Djokovic stopped at a few seconds in front of the camera, where the winner traditionally signs. But instead of just signing a goal or writing an agreed verdict, the Serb, seeded 3 Porte d’Auteuil, wrote a political message in Cyrillic about Kosovo’s self-declared independence.
This view, which has received wide recognition, is important, since relations between Serbia and Kosovo have become tense again. Like international institutions, including the UN and the EU, Belgrade does not recognize the independence of its former province. The country, recognized by France since 2008, with an Albanian majority and a Serb minority, has been suffering from renewed tensions in recent weeks. On Monday, about 30 NATO forces (KFOR) were injured in clashes in northern Kosovo, where demonstrators linked to the Serbian community do not recognize the authority of Pristina, the territory’s capital with a disputed status.
Djokovic wrote: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia! Stop the Violence” on camera after his victory at #RG23 today as tensions flare up again in the region. https://t.co/4gLSXg5wbo pic.twitter.com/A6ciqPX2WI — Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) May 29, 2023
“This is a very sensitive topic. As a Serb, I was very touched by what is happening in Kosovo and how our people have been practically forced out of our municipalities (…). As the son of a man born in Kosovo, I feel an added responsibility to support our people and all of Serbia.”made excuses to the press by Nole, whose father, Srjan, was born in Mitrovica, formerly Titova Mitrovica, a city in northern Kosovo that was affected by the 1999 war.
“Kosovo is our homeland, the heart of all historical moments in our country. The greatest battle took place here, the most important monasteries and churches are located here”, – insisted the one who aspires in Paris to a record of 23 Grand Slam titles. It’s not the first time he’s positioned himself this way. Kosovo is Serbiahe proclaimed after his first major victory at the Australian Open in 2008. “We are ready to protect what is ours”he assured.
I won’t hold back, I’ll do it again
I won’t hold back, I’ll do it again
Novak Djokovic, world number three
But this time it could get him a penalty. According to the ethical charter of the French Tennis Federation (FFT), organizer of the French Open, players have “moral duty” “renunciation of all forms of violence”. Therefore, they are prohibited from allegedly demonstrating political or religious views. A rule that Novak Djokovic did not follow. “If they give me a fine or something like that, I will not regret (…), because my position on this matter is very clear”he defended himself. “I don’t know if sanctions will hit me, but I won’t hold back, I will do it again.”
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“Let’s look and talk to him to find out what he really meant”detained tournament director Amélie Mauresmo, a guest at Court du soir, France Télévisions’ Twitch program. “Do not rush. We’ll put things down.” As Franceinfo explains, Novak Djokovic answered this controversial question in Serbian. “We are waiting to see even the exact translation, because we have several versions that go back to us”, confirmed the boss of Roland-Garros. Due to the lack of a Serbian translator at the time, the organization was unable to provide translation directly.
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