The Roland-Garros tournament has not yet decided whether or not to sanction Novak Djokovic after his exit on Kosovo / France News

“Косово је < 3 Србије! Стоп насиљу. » Using a white marker, Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic wrote on the lens of one of the Philippe-Chatrier court’s cameras five words in Cyrillic letters and drew what looks like a heart, after winning the first round of Roland-Garros (6-3, 6-2, 7-6), Monday May 29. Two sentences that could be translated as “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia! Stop the violence. » This exit from the world number 3 comes as northern Kosovo is the scene of clashes between Serb demonstrators demanding the departure of Albanian mayors, law enforcement and members of the international force led by NATO.

And this is not the first political position taken by the Serb: “We are ready to defend what is ours”, he launched already in 2008, when Kosovo declared its independence. Serbia lives “one of the most difficult moments in its history”he had estimated. “Djokovic’s sentence is not a surprisedeciphers Lukas Macek, researcher at the Jacques-Delors Institute, interviewed by Agence France-Presse. Novak is someone who has ties to certain Serbian nationalist circles, and his positions often go in the direction of the nationalists. »

“It’s a very sensitive subject. As a Serb, I am very touched by the events in Kosovo and the way our people were expelled from the municipalities”justified the tennis player during the post-match press conference in Serbian, transcribed by Radio-Television of Serbia. “I am the son of a man born in Kosovo and a public figure, I feel an additional responsibility and the need to give my support to all of Serbia. »

The Serbian star added: ” [En cas de sanction], I would have no regrets and I would do it again because my position on this is very clear. I am against war, against violence, against any kind of conflict and I have always expressed it publicly”.

“We are waiting for an exact translation”

The Tennis Federation of Kosovo judged the act of the player “deeply regrettable”calling on athletes to “to work for peace and refrain from abusing their position in sport for political purposes”the body said in a statement.

On the French side, the director of the Roland-Garros tournament, Amélie Mauresmo, reacted with caution on Twitch. “Here, we are waiting to see even an exact translation (…)because we have several versions that go back to us (…). We will see. And talk to him to find out what he really meant. No precipitation (…). We’re just going to set things up.”she tempered.

Speaking on the subject of the war in Ukraine, she points out that players, particularly Russian and Belarusian players, but also “ all other players » to remain neutral and not to speak out on this conflict.

At the opening of the tournament on Sunday, Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with her Belarusian opponent Aryna Sabalenka. The player considers the authorities too accommodating with Russian and Belarusian players since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022. If she was booed by the public, the tennis federation did not react to His gesture.

In the ethical charter of the French Tennis Federation of 2023, the only article mentioning political opinions is under the“prohibition of any form of violence or cheating”. “Discrimination based on sex, physical appearance or abilities, social condition, sexual orientation or preferences, religious or political opinions” are against the rules, according to article 2.5.2. But there is no clear question of a ban on expressing political opinions.

Also, it is requested « tennis champions [d’]be aware of the impact of their image, their gestures or words on individuals and in particular on the youngest”states article 2.2.4 of the charter.