On Monday, the former world leader sent a political messageafter qualifying for the second round of Roland Garros, and the Kosovo Tennis Federation accused the Serbian player of exacerbating an already tense situation.

Novak Djokovic and the backlash caused by the controversial report

“Kosovo is the heart of Serbia! Stop the violence!”, Djokovic wrote this message on the traditional camera dedicated to players’ signatures.

About 30 NATO peacekeepers were injured Monday in clashes with Serbian protesters in the northern Kosovo town of Zvecan, where Djokovic’s father grew up.

The Serbs, who make up the majority in northern Kosovo, never accepted a 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia. They still claim Belgrade as their capital two decades after the Kosovo Albanian uprising against the repressive Serbian regime. Ethnic Albanians make up more than 90% of the entire population of Kosovo.

Monday’s clashes came as ethnic Albanian mayors took office in Serb-majority areas following elections boycotted by Serbs.

Djokovic later clarified that he was against war, but defended his statement and called the situation in Kosovo a “precedent”.

“As the son of a man born in Kosovo, I feel the need to support our people and all of Serbia,” he told reporters.

“My position is clear: I am against wars, violence and any conflicts, which I have always publicly stated.

I sympathize with all people, but the situation in Kosovo is a precedent in international law,” he added.

The president of the Kosovo Tennis Federation, Jeton Haderjonaj, said: “Novak Djokovic’s comments at the end of his Roland Garros match against Aleksandar Kovacevic, his statements at the post-match press conference and his post on Instagram are regrettable,” News.ro reported.

Haderjonai accused Djokovic of using his celebrity status to inflame tensions.

“Novak Djokovic has already been the author of similar actions in the past. Despite the general call against violence, the statement “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” and other post-match statements made by such a public figure at a global event such as the French Open directly led to increased levels of tension between the two states. , Serbia and Kosovo,” the statement also said.

The French Tennis Federation (FFT), which organizes the French Open, told Reuters that “there are no official Grand Slam rules about what players can or cannot say. FFT will not make any statements or take any position on this matter.”

Neither the International Tennis Federation (ITF) nor the ATP, which governs men’s professional tennis, were available for comment on Tuesday.