French Open 2023: Novak Djokovic criticised for message about Kosovo after first-round win

Novak Djokovic wrote the connection connected a camera lens aft his 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7-1) triumph implicit Aleksandar Kovacevic connected Tuesday

Novak Djokovic's governmental connection astir Kosovo astatine the French Open was "not appropriate" and "shouldn't hap again", says France's sports minister.

Serb Djokovic wrote "Kosovo is the bosom of Serbia. Stop the violence" on a camera lens.

It is successful notation to caller hostility successful Kosovo, which declared independency from Serbia successful 2008.

Serbia has ne'er recognised Kosovo's independency and determination has been unit successful the past days pursuing the installation of taste Albanian mayors successful the northbound of the country, with constabulary and Nato troops clashing with Serb protesters.

"When you transportation messages astir defending quality rights, messages that bring radical unneurotic astir cosmopolitan values, a sportsperson is escaped to explicit them," Oudea-Castera told broadcaster France 2.

"But successful this lawsuit it was a connection that is precise activist, that is precise political. You shouldn't get involved, particularly successful the existent circumstances, and it shouldn't hap again."

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Oudea-Castera said she made a favoritism for messages successful enactment for Ukraine successful the look of Russia's invasion, adding that she did not enactment Kosovo and Ukraine "on the aforesaid level".

That includes supporting Ukrainian subordinate Marta Kostyuk, who was booed by the crowd aft she refused to shingle hands with Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus connected Sunday.

Belarus is an state of Russia and allowed troops to usage its territory to motorboat past year's penetration of Ukraine.

"What's happening for Ukrainians connected the circuit is truthful painful, truthful difficult," said Oudea-Castera.

"You tin recognize [Kostyuk's refusal to shingle hands]. Even if you'd similar determination to ever beryllium just play up to and including the handshake, but there's symptom and I respect it."

Djokovic, 36, has defended his message, which helium wrote instantly aft his first-round triumph implicit Aleksandar Kovacevic connected Tuesday.

Speaking to Serbian journalists the 22-time Grand Slam singles champion, whose begetter was calved successful Kosovo, said helium was "against wars, unit and immoderate benignant of conflict" but that the concern Kosovo is simply a "precedent successful planetary law".

"Especially arsenic a lad of a antheral calved successful Kosovo, I consciousness the request to springiness my enactment to our radical and to the entirety of Serbia," said Djokovic.

"Kosovo is our cradle, our stronghold, centre of the astir important things for our country. There are galore reasons wherefore I wrote that connected the camera.

"Of people it hurts maine precise overmuch arsenic a Serb to spot what is happening successful Kosovo and the mode our radical person been practically expelled from the municipal offices, truthful the slightest I could bash was this."

Kosovo Olympic authorities person asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to unfastened disciplinary proceedings against Djokovic, accusing him of stirring up governmental tension.

"Novak Djokovic has yet again promoted the Serbian nationalists' propaganda and utilized the athletics level to bash so," said Ismet Krasniqi, president of Kosovo's Olympic Committee.

On Tuesday the Tennis Federation of Kosovo said Djokovic's actions would "directly result" successful expanding hostility betwixt the 2 countries.

The French Tennis Federation, which organises the French Open, said determination are nary rules connected what players tin accidental astatine Grand Slams, and that it is "understandable" that discussions astir planetary quality events took spot astatine the tournament.

"The aforesaid rules use to each 4 Grand Slams. The tourney referee and Grand Slam Supervisors guarantee that these rules are complied with," work a statement.

"Messages are passed connected to the teams of immoderate players acrophobic by specified matters."

Djokovic's connection 'bound to ruffle feathers'

Guy Delauney, BBC News Balkans correspondent

"Kosovo is the bosom of Serbia" mightiness look similar an unusual statement. After all, Kosovo became autarkic successful 2008 - and its geographical determination successful the southbound westbound meant that, adjacent earlier then, it was ever connected the periphery of Serbia.

But its symbolic value remains highly important to galore Serbs. The 1389 Battle of Kosovo has been mythologised arsenic the important lawsuit successful the forging of Serbian identity. And galore of the astir important sites of the Serbian Orthodox Church are wrong modern-day Kosovo.

Serbia is 1 of scores of countries which garbage to recognise Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence. And Serbians with household ties to Kosovo are peculiarly keen to guarantee that Serbia's argumentation of non-recognition continues.

It has been a turbulent period for Serbia - with mass shootings and aggregate protests - and ethnic-Serbs successful Kosovo. By penning his courtside message, the country's sporting icon was showing his enactment - but successful a mode which was bound to ruffle feathers.

With his marker pen scribble, Djokovic neatly illustrated the enduring complexity of the situation.

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