Novak Djokovic dispatched the American of Serbian origin Aleksandar Kovacevic in three rounds for his entry into the running in the Paris tournament. An almost perfect start for the seeded number 3 who, as is now customary, also wrote a message on the camera lens before leaving the Philippe-Chatrier court.
Djokovic used Cyrillic to write a few words in favor of peace in Kosovo as incidents have taken place in recent days between the police and Serbs in the north of this region, a former Serbian province which declared independence in 2008, but was never recognized by Serbia. Several member countries of the UN, including France, have recognized this independence, but not the UN or the European Union.
“Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence,” wrote the 22-time Grand Slam champion. 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 widely commented on by the media in Kosovo, is all the more sensitive since 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 critics in the region.
Kosovo police fired tear gas on Monday to disperse protesting Serbs in a bid to prevent Albanian mayors elected in controversial elections from taking office in predominantly Serb towns in northern Kosovo.
These city councilors were appointed following the local elections organized by the Kosovo authorities on April 23 in four municipalities mostly populated by Serbs who largely boycotted this election: only some 1,500 voters, out of approximately 45,000 registered voters, took part. . Protesters also demand the withdrawal of special police forces deployed in the region for several days.
