Novak Djokovic has drawn criticism from Kosovo’s tennis federation — but not from French Open organisers — after offering his thoughts on clashes in northern Kosovo between ethnic Serbs and police and NATO peacekeepers.
Djokovic is a 36-year-old from Serbia who has won 22 grand slam titles and is scheduled to play in the second round at Roland Garros.
After a first-round victory, Djokovic wrote in Serbian on the lens of a courtside TV camera: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence”.
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Kosovo’s tennis federation said that Djokovic’s comments were “deplorable” because he was stoking tensions between Serbia and Kosovo.
“The comments made by Novak Djokovic at the end of his Roland Garros match against Aleksandar Kovacevic, his statements at the post-match press conference and his Instagram post are regrettable,” Kosovo tennis federation president Jeton Hadergjonaj said in a statement.
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“Novak Djokovic was already the author of similar actions in the past. Despite a general message against violence, the statement ‘Kosovo is the heart of Serbia’ and further statements after the match, made by such a public figure, on the occasion of a worldwide event like the French Open, directly result in raising the level of tension between the two states, Serbia and Kosovo.”
A former province of Serbia, Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence is not recognised by Belgrade. Ethnic Albanians make up most of the population, but Kosovo has a restive Serb minority in the north of the country bordering Serbia.
Djokovic cruises through first round
NATO said it will send 700 more troops to northern Kosovo to help quell violent protests after clashes with ethnic Serbs left 30 international soldiers wounded. Tensions first increased over the weekend, after ethnic Albanian officials elected in votes overwhelmingly boycotted by Serbs entered municipal buildings. When the Serbs tried to block them, Kosovo police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.
Speaking to reporters in Serbian after his first round win, Djokovic said that he thought what he wrote on the TV camera was “the least I could do.
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“I feel responsibility as a public figure … as well as a son of a man who was born in Kosovo,” Djokovic said.
Without mentioning Djokovic by name, French Open organisers indicated in a statement issued that no rules had been broken: “Occasionally, discussions about international news events enter the realm of the tournament, which is understandable.”
A source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters organisers did not see Djokovic’s action as “detrimental to the best interests of the tournament.”
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