Novak Djokovic is unlikely to face any punishment for writing a political message on a camera lens following his first round win at the French Open as there are no rules restricting what a player can say, according to organizers.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion wrote “Kosovo is [heart symbol] Serbia. Stop violence” following a flare-up in the region which has resulted in 25 UN peacekeepers getting injured during clashes. Djokovic also later uploaded a picture of his message in his Instagram story. However, his gesture is a controversial one for some people. Kosovo declared independence back in 2008 and is recognised by over 100 countries, as well as sporting organizations such as The International Tennis Federation. Despite this, Serbia still regards it as part of its territory.
The Kosovo Tennis Federation is set to make a formal complaint about Djokovic’s message to the sports governing bodies. In a statement published on their Facebook account, they accused the former world No.1 of displaying ‘nationalist and chauvinist behaviours through provocations against the state of Kosovo.’
“The Tennis Federation of Kosovo will stand strongly in defence of the values and dignity of its country and its people, but at the same time in defence of values that tennis as a sport conveys in general, which are the unity between people, hope, joy and passion for inclusiveness,” the Kosovo federation said.
“(The) tennis Federation will seek punishment of Djokovic from the ATP Tour, International Tennis Federation and Roland Garros as the organizer.”
However, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) has stated that Djokovic hasn’t broken any rules and therefore he is unlikely to be punished in any form. A similar situation occurred at this year’s Australian Open with Karen Khachanov, who is half-Armenian, writing messages of support for those living in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Under international law, Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan but its population is largely Armenian. The two countries have engaged in fighting over the region.
“There are no official Grand Slam rules on what players can or cannot say. The FFT (French Federation of Tennis) will not be making any statement or taking any stance on this matter.” A statement from the French Open organizers read.
Djokovic’s father, Srdjan, was born in Kosovo. During an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera earlier this month, he said he would like to return to the region to baptize his children. Although he stated that he doesn’t want to get involved in politics and described the situation there as ‘tense.’
“For every Serb, Kosovo is the heart, it is the centre of our culture, our identity, our tradition and our religion.’ He said.
Speaking to reporters in Paris on Monday, Djokovic stated that he would be prepared to do more political messages again in the future. He will play Marton Fucsovics in the second round later this week.
