Djokovic courted controversy on Monday after writing, “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” on a broadcast camera lens after winning his first-round game at the French Open in Paris.
Novak Djokovic has been warned by sporting authorities against making political statements at the French Open, the latest controversy for the Serbian tennis star after he weighed in on ethnic tensions between Serbia and Kosovo amid rising ethnic tensions in the region.... [+]Key Facts
Djokovic stirred controversy on Monday as he wrote the phrase “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” on a broadcast camera lens after winning his first-round game at the French Open in Paris. The Serbian tennis superstar’s father was born in Kosovo and he told the press after the match he felt he had an obligation to show support for Serbs and “all of Serbia,” as some of them are being “expelled” from their home districts.
The Olympic Committee of Kosovo condemned Djokovic’s comments and has urged the IOC to initiate “disciplinary proceedings,” ReutersThe president of the national sporting body, Ismet Krasniqi, accused the 22-time Grand Slam winner of using sport as a platform to promote “Serbian nationalists’ propaganda,” the report added.
It is unclear what action Kosovo officials expect the IOC to take and what rules the tennis star may have broken.by the Kosovo Tennis Federation, which called the remarks “deplorable.”In his post-match press conference on Monday, Djokovic said: “I am not a politician, nor do I intend to enter into debates . . . I don’t know if someone will punish me or something like that, but I would do it again. I am against wars and conflicts of any kind.
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