“I don’t know if I will be punished” | Relief

The signature to the camera of the tennis players who manage to win a match has become a habitual gesture in all tournaments of the circuit. What began as a way to certify a victory, has ended up being used to draw pictures, congratulate the day to their relatives or send all kinds of messages. Some without importance, but others with enormous geopolitical significance. If a few months ago, the Russian Andrey Rublev used it to ‘defend himself’ and defend Russia’s ‘No to war’ in Ukraine, today it was Novak Djokovic who has generated an earthquake in his country with what he has written about the objective in full center court: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia: stop the violence“.

After days of tension and incidents in various locations due to the inauguration of a mayor of Albanian origin in the city of Zvecan, one of the pro-Serbian and autonomous areas from the rest of Kosovo, the number 2 in world tennis has internationalized the conflict with his message. “This is the least you could have done. I feel a responsibility as a public figure, no matter what field, to provide support… Especially As the son of a man born in Kosovo, I feel the need to support them and Serbia. I don’t know what the future holds for the Serbian people and for Kosovo, but it is necessary to show support and show unity in this type of situation,” he said at the press conference after his debut in Paris against the American Kovacevic.

The public step is much more important and goes much further than asking for peace in the region. Djokovic has referred to Kosovo as a part of Serbia on several occasions in recent months, something that did not like the other side of the border and announced that he wants to baptize his children there in the coming months. The Kosovar sports minister spoke on social networks with a direct: “No-Vax No entry (Not vaccinated, you do not enter)“. Today, he has insisted again with that short but clear “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia”.

Penalty for political messages?

The political demonstration at Roland Garros has also generated a debate in the middle of the second Grand Slam of the season and, so that it does not happen again in the future, the organization or the ATP can sanction the player. “So far this has not been the case and I hope it stays that way.“, he pointed out when asked by the journalists, while stating that he would not repeat it: “I don’t know what will happen, I heard that there have been many opinions on social networks, I don’t know if I will be punished… I won’t hold back, I’d do it again“.

Without wanting to remain silent in the face of the situation, he has insisted on his defense: “My position is clear: I am against wars, violence and any kind of conflict, as I have always said publicly. I empathize with all people, but the situation with Kosovo is a precedent in international law… I am very sorry for the situation we find ourselves in: Kosovo is our cornerstone, our fortressour most important monasteries are there”.

‘Nole’ has caused the political debate to be the protagonist at the start of Roland Garros. The situation of the independence of Kosovorequested in 2008 and which continues to be unrecognized by several countries such as Spain, one of the critical situations in European politics with constant tensions and which now enters fully into sport.