Picture Credit: Twitter
Novak Djokovic, the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion, got himself involved in a controversy at the French Open after his first round victory against Aleksandar Kovacevic of USA by 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 on May 29, Monday. During his post-match celebration on Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros, the 36-year-old wrote on the camera lens, “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia, stop the violence.”
The comments from Djokovic came amidst escalating ethnic and political tension in Kosovo in relation to his native country Serbia.
On the same day, clashes broke out between the Serbian protestors and the NATO peacekeeping soldiers in Zvecan town in Northern Kosovo. The protesters were trying to prevent the newly elected ethnic Albanian mayor from entering office in their dominated area, to which the peacekeeping soldiers retaliated. It led to around 50 Serbian protestors and 25 NATO peacekeeping soldiers getting injured.
Notably, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, but the government in Belgrade has refused to grant it sovereignty.
Meanwhile, the former two-time French Open champion talked about his actions on the Court Philippe Chatrier to the Serbian media in his native language and said, “I am not a politician, nor do I intend to enter into debates.”
“As a Serb, it hurts me what is happening in Kosovo. Our people have been expelled from the municipalities. This is the least I could do. As a public figure, I feel an obligation to show support for our people and all of Serbia,” remarked Novak Djokovic, whose father was born in Kosovo.
“I hear there was a lot of criticism on social media. I don't know if someone will punish me or something like that, but I would do it again. I am against wars and conflicts of any kind,” he further added.
The Serbian also went on to say, “Kosovo is our heart, stronghold, the centre of the most important events, the biggest battle took place there, the most monasteries. There are many reasons why I wrote this.”
