Novak Djokovic has eased into the second spherical of the French Open however risked inflaming political tensions in his house area with a message about Kosovo.
After a 6-3 6-2 7-6 (7-1) victory over American Aleksandar Kovacevic, who’s of Serbian heritage, Djokovic wrote on the digital camera lens: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence.”
Kosovo declared independence in 2008 however Serbia has by no means recognised that and violence broke out within the north of the nation over the weekend after ethnic Albanian mayors had been put in in Serbian-dominated areas, with NATO peacekeepers amongst these injured.
Serbia has troops stationed close to the border and there are fears of a return to the violent battle of 1998-99.
Speaking to Serbian journalists in feedback reported by the nation’s media, Djokovic, whose father was born in Kosovo, stated: “I am not a politician, nor do I intend to enter into debates.
“As a Serb, it hurts me what is occurring in Kosovo. Our folks have been expelled from the municipalities. This is the least I may do. As a public determine, I really feel an obligation to point out assist for our folks and all of Serbia.
“I hear there was a lot of criticism on social media. 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.
“Kosovo is our coronary heart, stronghold, the centre of a very powerful occasions, the most important battle passed off there, essentially the most monasteries. There are many the explanation why I wrote this.”
Djokovic, who is not expected to face any sanctions, is no stranger to controversy and he was dragged into a row at the Australian Open in January after his father Srdjan was pictured with pro-Russia demonstrators, which he later insisted was unwitting.
On the court, there were no real alarms for the third seed, who has struggled on clay so far this season but maintained his record of not dropping a set in the opening round in Paris since 2010.
He was broken serving for the match but responded with a strong tiebreak
“I feel I performed rather well and held issues below management for two-and-a-half units after which misplaced my serve and issues acquired a little bit bit on a unsuitable facet for me,” Djokovic stated.
“But I managed to carry my nerves and performed just about an ideal tiebreak. So general I’m happy and content material with my degree.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
