Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - May 29, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic in action during his first round match against Aleksandar Kovacevic of the U.S. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Acquire Licensing Rights
PARIS, May 29 [Reuters] - Serbian world No. 3 Novak Djokovic risked stirring up a political controversy at the French Open on Monday, after writing a message about Kosovo on a camera lens following his first-round victory.
"Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence," 22-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic wrote in Serbian.
Some 30 NATO peacekeeping soldiers defending three town halls in northern Kosovo were injured in clashes with Serbs protesters in the town of Zvecan, where Djokovic's father grew up. Serbian authorities said 52 protesters were injured in clashes.
The tense situation developed after ethnic Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovo's Serb-majority area after elections the Serbs boycotted - a move that led the U.S. and its allies to rebuke Pristina on Friday.
Serbs, who comprise a majority in Kosovo's north, have never accepted its 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia and still see Belgrade as their capital more than two decades after the Kosovo Albanian uprising against repressive Serbian rule.
"As a son of a man born in Kosovo, I feel the need to give my support to our people and to entire Serbia," Djokovic told a news briefing on Monday after his match at the Roland Garros tournament.
"My stance is clear: I am against wars, violence and any kind of conflict, as I’ve always stated publicly. I empathise with all people, but the situation with Kosovo is a precedent in international law," Djokovic said.
The French tennis federation [FFT], which organises the event, told Reuters that there were "no official Grand Slam rules on what players can or cannot say. The FFT will not be making any statement or taking any stance on this matter."
Djokovic will hope to avoid another political distraction at a Grand Slam after he defended his father at the Australian Open in January, when a video emerged showing him posing with some fans holding Russian flags amid the war in Ukraine.
Ethnic Albanians make up more than 90% of the population in Kosovo as a whole, but northern Serbs have long demanded the implementation of an EU-brokered 2013 deal for the creation of an association of autonomous municipalities in their area.
Serbia and its traditional ally Russia do not recognise Kosovo's independence, and Moscow has blocked the country's bid to become a member of the United Nations.
Novak Djokovic has stirred anger after calling for peace in northern Kosovo after winning his first match at the French Open.
Here's a breakdown of what he said and what it has to do with the unrest in the sovereign European state.
What did Novak Djokovic say?
After winning his match, Djokovic signed the camera for a Serbian television network.
This isn't unusual — winning players regularly sign television cameras after winning their matches.
However, instead of just signing his name on the screen, Djokovic wrote "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence," in Serbian.
Djokovic explained his decision to write the message to Serbian media in a press conference after the game.
"Kosovo is our hearth, stronghold, centre of the most important events for our country," he said in Serbian.
"The biggest battle happened there, the most important monasteries are there.
"There are many reasons why I wrote it on the camera."
Djokovic later reposted an image of his signed message on his Instagram account.
Djokovic said Kosovo was the "heart of Serbia" and called for an end to the violence in the country's north. [Instagram: Novak Djokovic ]
Why are people angry about this?
Because the Republic of Kosovo declared independence from Serbia back in 2008 after the Kosovo Albanian uprising against repressive Serbian rule.
Kosovo says more than 100 countries recognise it as a sovereign state, including Australia.
But Serbia, its northern neighbour, still considers Kosovo part of its territory and Serbia's traditional ally Russia doesn't recognise the country's independence.
Kosovo, which is also bordered by Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro, has been grappling with unrest for decades.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] forces have been running peacekeeping operations in the region since 1999.
Petrit Selimi, Kosovo's former foreign minister, said claiming Kosovo was the heart of Serbia was an "unacceptable political, irredentist message".
"So if a Russian player tomorrow writes 'Crimea and Donbas are heart of Russia. Stop violence' it’s all cool? Djokovic has a history of support for Serbian nationalist causes," he wrote on Twitter.
What's happening in Kosovo now?
There's been protests about recent elections in Kosovo's north, where the majority of the population is Serbian.
Many Serbs boycotted the election and tensions flared when Albanian mayors took office.
Serbian protesters demanded the Kosovo government remove Albanian mayors and reinstate Serbian-financed leaders.
Peacekeepers, known as Kosovo Force [KFOR], have been helping local police protect four municipal buildings from Serb protesters since Friday.
Twenty-five NATO peacekeepers have been injured so far.
KFOR said soldiers sustained "trauma wounds with fractures and burns" after they were attacked with incendiary devices by protesters in the town of Zvecan.
This prompted the federal government to tell Australians to avoid travelling to Kosovo's northern region after reviewing its advice on the Smart Traveller website on Tuesday.
"We've reviewed our advice for Kosovo," the site now says.
"We haven't changed the level of our advice, exercise a high degree of caution overall.
"Higher levels apply in some areas.
"Reconsider your need to travel to Leposavić, Zubin Potok and Zvečan municipalities and North Mitrovica."
Violence errupted in Kosovo's north. [Smart Traveller]
Are tennis players allowed to make commentary?
"There are no official Grand Slam rules on what players can or cannot say," the French tennis federation [FFT], who organises the event, told Reuters.
"The FFT will not be making any statement or taking any stance on this matter."
However, the International Tennis Federation [ITF], the world governing body for tennis, suspended Russia and Belarus teams's membership in March last year.
It suspended Russia because of the nation's invasion of Ukraine.
The ITF included Belarus - one of Russia's closest allies - in this for allowing Russian troops to launch attacks from Belarusian soil.
Russian and Belarusian players are still able to compete in tournaments, but they're only allowed to do so as individuals - not under their flag our country's name.
Daniil Medvedev, Russia's highest-ranking player, is listed on the ITF website with no mention of his country or flag:
Daniil Medvedev's ITF profile does not feature the Russian flag. [International Tennis Federation]
Normally, players's country and flag is displayed on their ITF profile.
Compare Medvedev's ITF profile to Alex De Minaur's, which features his country and flag. [International Tennis Federation]
Back in January, the Australian Open banned spectators from bringing Russian and Belarusian flags to matches.
The ban came after attendees waved the Russian flag during a match between Ukraine's Kateryna Baindl and Russia's Kamilla Rakhimova.
Shortly after the ban, Djokovic's father Srdjan Djokovic, was criticised for posing in a video with tennis fans waving a Russian flag outside the tournament.
One of the men in the video was wearing a shirt symbol "Z" which, in this context, is a symbol signalling support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
How many children does Novak Djokovic have?
The tennis star is a father of two children, son Stefan Djokovic and daughter Tara Djokovic, who he shares with wife Jelena. The couple, who were high school sweethearts, got married in 2014, and welcomed their son Stefan in October that year.
Why Novak Djokovic is a hero in Serbia?
But the murals there of Novak Djokovic hold a special significance — this is where the future tennis star's grandfather lived and where, as a 12-year-old boy, he sought shelter while NATO bombed the Serbian capital in 1999.
What did Djokovic say that was controversial?
Djokovic used the customary post-match camera signing to write the message: “Kosovo is [heart symbol] Serbia. Stop violence.” Later on Monday, Djokovic reposted a photo of his message on to his Instagram story. Djokovic's comments were in reference to recent unrest and violence in Kosovo after local elections in April.
Did Djokovic grow up in Serbia?
Djokovic grew up in war-torn Serbia, and his family often struggled to make ends meet. After spending early years of his childhood in Serbia, Djokovic moved to Niki Pilic's academy in Munich, Germany in 1999. However, breaking into the elite ranks of tennis was no easy feat.