(Paris) French Sports Minister Amélie Oudea-Castera said on Wednesday that Novak Djokovic’s politically flavored message about Kosovo was “inappropriate” and warned the Serb that he will have to avoid issuing others during the French Tennis Open.
In an interview with the France 2 channel, Oudea-Castera declared that the director of the tournament, Amélie Mauresmo, had met Djokovic and his team to remind him of his duty of “impartiality”.
“When it comes to human rights and uniting everyone around common values, an athlete has the right to do that,” she said. Oudea-Castera however added that Djokovic’s message was “militant, and very political”, before adding “that it should not be repeated”.
PHOTO LUDOVIC MARIN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
French Sports Minister Amélie Oudea-Castera
Djokovic has drawn the wrath of the Kosovar Tennis Federation after he expressed his opinion about the fighting that broke out in northern Kosovo between different Serb communities, security services and NATO soldiers.
After his first-round victory in Paris on Monday, Djokovic wrote in Serbian on the television camera lens: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the fighting”.
The Kosovo Tennis Federation said Tuesday that Djokovic’s comments were “deplorable” because they stoked tensions between Serbia and Kosovo.
The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said it was not considering imposing disciplinary sanctions on the Serb.
“We received a letter from Kosovo, to which we responded,” said ITF President David Haggerty. We passed it on to the French tennis federation, the French Open and the ATP who have the power – in fact, these two organizations take precedence in this event. »
Haggerty added that “athletes need to be careful about their political views. Sport and politics do not mix well, and we really want them to be independent of each other”.
Kosovo, a former province of Serbia, declared its independence in 2008. However, it is still not officially recognized by Belgrade. The Kosovo population is made up mainly of various Albanian communities, but it also has a minority of Serbian origin in the north of the country, near the border with Serbia.
Djokovic, who has won 22 career Grand Slam titles, is due to play his second-round match at Roland Garros later on Wednesday.
