May 29, 2023, 10:26 PM
May 29, 2023, 10:26 PM
The tennis player wrote the message in Serbian after his victory in first round against the American Aleksandar Kovacevic.
“Kosovo is our cradle, our fortress, center of the most important things in our country… There are many reasons why I wrote that on camera,” the 36-year-old told Serbian media at the tournament.
NATO peacekeeping troops dispersed Serb protesters clashing with police in northern Kosovo on Monday calling for the change of ethnic Albanian mayors, when tension rises in the Balkan nation.
Some 25 soldiers were injured during the clashesin addition to about 50 protesters.
Kosovo Serbs boycotted elections last month in northern cities, which allowed ethnic Albanians to seize control of local councils, despite a minuscule turnout of around 3.5 percent of voters.
“I am not a politician and I have no intention of getting into political debatesit’s a very sensitive issue,” Djokovic said.
“Of course, it hurts a lot as a Serb to see what is happening in Kosovo and the way our people have been practically kicked out of the municipal offices, so the last thing I could do was this”indicated.
“As a public figure, but also as the son of a man who was born in Kosovo, I feel an additional responsibility to try to express my support for our people and for Serbia as a whole”said.
“I have no regrets and I would do it again as my position is clear. I am against war, violence and conflicts of any kind and I have always shown this publicly. Of course I have sympathy for all the people, but what is happening with Kosovo is a precedent in international law,” he concluded.
