Djokovic takes political stance: "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia, enough violence"

It is Pentecost Monday, a holiday in France, and the sun of these days is accompanied by gusts of wind that in some moments dirty the neat exercise of Novak Djokovic. The Serbian controls the situation, but some details he does not like. For example, that for the fifth time the snitch jumps when the ball touches the tape on the serve. "It's incredible!", laments the Belgrade, who in the third partial suffers a slight lapse – without any consequence; 6-3, 6-2 and 7-6(1) to Aleksandar Kovacevic – and he is affirmed: "I have lost a bit of concentration and at these levels you cannot give anything away, but the sensations have been good in general."

Djokovic, 36, retains the same serious face he wore in the tournament preview. He considers that the ball has not touched the upper area of the mesh and argues with the referee, while from the stands some whistle is emitted that he does not quite understand. He falls back to the serve line and resigns himself; He then raises three break options and spits a scream that comes to say here I am, in search of 23, that number that would allow him to tie with Rafael Nadal and would raise him to the top of his sport completely alone, already without companions and with the possibility of increasing the harvest from here to the end of the course.

More information

Carlos Alcaraz, or pleasure for pleasure's sake

"I'm happy with my level, although you can always play better," concludes the winner, quoted with the Hungarian Martin Fucsovics on Wednesday and who before retiring to the dressing room stamps a political message in the camera: "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia: enough violence." Nole does so in a context of hostility following the escalation of tension in northern Kosovo, after NATO has increased on Monday the deployment of its peace support force (Kosovo Force or KFOR) in four municipalities in the north of the country where since Friday there was an increase in riots and violence, as reported by María R. Sahuquillo.

Djokovic's message, recorded on a video scoreboard of the central. /TWITTER

Already in the conference room, the champion of 22 majors answers three questions in English, only tennis, until he attends to the special envoys of his country and expands, according to the Tennis Majors portal. "I am not a politician and I have no intention of entering into a political debate, but this issue is very sensitive and as a Serb, everything that is happening in Kosovo hurts me a lot," he adds. "It's the least I could do. As a public figure, no matter what arena, I feel a responsibility to convey my support, especially as the son of a man born in Kosovo. I don't know what the future holds for the Serbian people and Kosovo, but it is necessary to show support and show unity in such situations."

"My position is clear: I am against wars, violence and any kind of conflict, as I have always stated publicly. I feel empathy for all people, but the situation in Kosovo [declared independent since 2008, although not recognized by Spain] is a precedent in international law... I am very sorry for the situation in which we find ourselves: Kosovo is our cornerstone, our bulwark, our most important monasteries are there ...", continues the tennis player, who during the last Australian Open had to deal with a thorny political episode after his father posed with supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin, outside the Melbourne headquarters.

Neutrality of the organization

Asked if the organization of Roland Garros has addressed him for the message or if he foresees some kind of punishment, Djokovic says that "so far it has not been like that" and that he hopes that "it will continue like this". Consulted by Reuters, the French Tennis Federation (FFT), organizer of the Parisian major, says that "there are no official rules of the Grand Slams on what players can or cannot say" and that "it will not make any statement or take any position on this matter." In any case, the current number three of the ATP does not back down a single step: "I do not know what is going to happen. I've heard that there have been a lot of objections on social media, if I'm going to be punished... But I don't hold back, I would do it again."

The crisis of these days is the most intense of this year. There have been clashes between Kosovo Serb demonstrators and the uniformed of the Atlantic Alliance in the town of Zvecan (7,300 inhabitants). At least 50 protesters and 25 soldiers were injured, according to local media reports and witnesses on the ground, who speak of the use of tear gas, as the crisis between Serb minority citizens and the country's Albanian-majority authorities deepens. Russia, with close ties to Serbia, has again charged on Monday against the West, which it blames for the escalation.

It is not the first time that Djokovic – married to the Serbian Jelena Ristic since 2014 and father of two children – has spoken out about the Kosovo conflict. In 2008, after winning his first major, in Australia, the tennis player from Belgrade already claimed through a video that "Kosovo is Serbia and will remain Serbia".

THE TERRESTRIAL CALVARY OF ALIASSIME

A. C. | Paris

Before Djokovic signed his first victory, the first bell of this edition sounded. Relative surprise, actually. Felix Auger-Aliassime, tenth seed and already out of the draw, is not going through a good moment; Depleted by stomach discomfort, he lost to Fabio Fognini (6-4, 6-4 and 6-3) and sealed a tour dotted with setbacks and bad results. "I felt cramps, I couldn't move," argued the Canadian, who last year led Nadal to the fifth set in the knockout stages of the tournament.

On this occasion, his land layout is summarized in slaps: first round in the Madrid Masters, first in Rome and a second in Lyon, where he had to leave due to a shoulder ailment. Tutored by Fréderic Fontang and episodically by Toni Nadal, the young man from Montreal does not take flight this season. At 22, he has four titles and great potential, but he does not finish settling in the top-10, from which he leaves after this last stumble. The 2021 US Open semifinals are his most meritorious record at a major.

You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on Facebook and Twitter, or sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.

75% discount

Subscribe to continue reading

Read without limits

Read more

I'm already a subscriber