Laura Laplaud with AFP / Photo credit: JEAN CATUFFE / DPPI VIA AFP
A new controversy for Novak Djokovic. The least we can say is that he knows how to talk about him. After winning his match against American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) on Monday at the Roland-Garros tournament, for which Europe 1 is the official radio station, the Serb, armed with his marker, wrote a few words in Cyrillic on the Philippe-Chatrier court camera.
“Kosovo is the heart of Serbia!”
“Kosovo is the heart of Serbia! Stop the violence.” This exit from the world number 3 comes as northern Kosovo has been the scene for several days of clashes where many members of the majority Serbian community in four cities in this region do not recognize the authority of Pristina and are loyal to Belgrade. . A political position, however, prohibited by the ethical charter of Roland-Garros, as are religious positions.
The Serbs boycotted the April municipal elections in these localities, which resulted in the election of Albanian mayors with a turnout of less than 3.5%. These city councilors were enthroned last week by the government of Albin Kurti, the Prime Minister of this territory largely populated by Albanians, ignoring the calls for appeasement launched by the European Union and the United States. .
“I am not a politician and I have no intention of engaging in a debate”
Novak Djokovic then justified himself at a press conference: “It’s a sensitive subject. I feel an additional responsibility as a public figure and as the son of a man born in Kosovo to support everyone. Serbian people. It’s the least I can do. I’m not a politician and I don’t intend to start a debate,” he said.
It is not the first time that the player has spoken about Kosovo: in January 2008, after his first Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open, he said: “Kosovo is Serbia.” Serbia, supported by its Russian and Chinese allies, has never recognized the independence proclaimed in 2008 by its former province and tensions regularly erupt between Belgrade and Pristina.
A sulphurous reputation
In recent years, his position on the anti-Covid vaccine had also given an incredible sequence. For this reason, Novak Djokovic had been expelled from Australia shortly before the 2022 edition of the Major in Melbourne. Shortly after, he was not allowed to come to the United States to defend his chances, notably at Indian Wells and the US Open. Just like this year when he was unable to participate in the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, California, last March.