Novak Djokovic’s political message on the unrest in Kosovo has no consequences from the world tennis association. But the whirlwind continues, clear words are coming from French politics.
The world tennis association ITF has not opened any disciplinary proceedings because of Novak Djokovic’s political message at the French Open.
ITF President David Haggerty told the AP news agency that a letter from Kosovo had been received, answered and forwarded to the French organizer of the Grand Slam tournament and the men’s organization ATP. “You make the rules for this event.”
The National Olympic Committee of Kosovo had previously called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to demand an investigation into the incident and disciplinary proceedings against Djokovic from the ITF. The IOC was asked to comment. ITF chief Haggerty also said that “athletes need to be careful about their political views. We talk about sport and politics and we need to keep that separate.”
warning from sports minister
After beating the American Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round, the 22-time Grand Slam tournament winner wrote on the lens of a TV camera: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence!”
French Sport Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera has criticized Novak Djokovic’s political message as “inappropriate” and issued a warning to the Serbian tennis star. “When it comes to defending human rights and bringing people together around universal values, every athlete can do it,” she said on TV channel France 2. However, Djokovic’s message was “militant, very political” and shouldn’t be repeated.
Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo spoke to Djokovic and his team and pointed out the principles of “neutrality”, the French sports minister reported. The organizers left open whether there were any concrete consequences for the campaign and only pointed out in a general statement that the same rules would apply to all Grand Slam tournaments.
Starting point Kosovo
The background to Djokovic’s action is the recent unrest in the Serbian-dominated north of Kosovo. Militant Serbs had protested against the appointment of new mayors in Zvecan and other municipalities. 30 soldiers of the NATO-led Kosovo Protection Force KFOR were injured. In addition, according to a hospital in Mitrovica, 53 Serbs were injured.
Kosovo, which is now almost exclusively inhabited by Albanians, declared its independence in 2008. Serbia does not recognize the statehood of its former province and demands its return.
Djokovic had stated that “as a public figure” he felt obliged “to show support for our people and all of Serbia”.
