Novak Djokovic dispatched Serbian-American Aleksandar Kovacevic in three sets for his Paris tournament debut. An almost perfect start for the number 3 seed who, as is now customary, also wrote a message on the camera lens before leaving Court Philippe-Chatrier.
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Djokovic has used Cyrillic to write a few words in favor of peace in Kosovo as there have been incidents in recent days between police and Serbs in the north of the region, a former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008 but has never been recognized by Serbia. Several UN member countries, including the France have recognized this independence, but not the UN or the European Union.
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Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence," wrote the champion of 22 Grand Slam titles. Novak Djokovic's message was variously appreciated by Internet users on social networks, some supporting the position of the Serb, others denouncing on the contrary a provocation on his part. This message, which is also much commented on by the media in Kosovo, is all the more sensitive as the Roland-Garros charter theoretically prohibits players from publicly displaying political or religious opinions. Last February, a mural dedicated to Djokovic in Kosovo was ransacked by unidentified individuals. "Nole" is sometimes identified as a Serbian nationalist by his detractors in the region.
Renewed tension in Kosovo
Kosovo police fired tear gas Monday to disperse protesting Serbs in a bid to prevent Albanian mayors elected in a controversial election from taking office in Serb-majority localities in northern Kosovo.
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These councillors were appointed after the local elections organised by the Kosovar authorities on 23rd April in four municipalities with a majority populated by Serbs who largely boycotted this election: only some 1500 voters, out of around 45,000 registered, took part. The protesters are also demanding the withdrawal of special police forces deployed in the area for several days.