Novak Djokovic risked courting controversy over tensions in Kosovo following a written message in the wake of his first-round win at the French Open.
In the immediate aftermath of his 6-3 6-2 7-6 victory over American Aleksandar Kovacevic, he wrote on the video camera in Serbian: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence.”
The situation in Kosovo has been increasingly fraught in the past week. Serbia put its military on high alert and announced it was sending troops to the border.
And earlier on Monday, NATO peacekeeping soldiers formed security cordons around four town halls in Kosovo.
The move follows protests by Serbs in the country, who make up a fraction of the population, after ethnic Albanian mayors were elected into their positions in elections boycotted by the Serbian population.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 but Belgrade has refused to recognise Kosovo’s sovereignty.
Djokovic was reported as saying by Serbian media in his post-match press conference: “I am not a politician and I have no intention of getting into political debates.
“As a Serb, it hurts me a lot what is happening in Kosovo. The least I could do is this, I feel responsible as a public figure and the son of a man who was born in Kosovo. I feel the need to show support to all of Serbia. I don’t know what the future holds for the Serbian people and Kosovo but it is very necessary to show support.
“I am against wars and any conflict, I have always expressed this in public. I am very sorry that we are in the situation we are in. Kosovo is our hearth, our stronghold, the biggest battle took place there, the most important monasteries are located there.”
