World No. 3 Novak Djokovic got off to a fine start at the 2023 French Open. Djokovic, one of the favorites to win the clay court showpiece, defeated American Aleksandar Kovacevic in straight sets. While the match itself, barring the third set, proved to be quite straightforward for the Serb, one of his gestures following its conclusion sparked political tensions. The gesture involved Djokovic’s native country, Serbia, and Kosovo, another country in Europe’s Balkan region.

Djokovic vehemently defended his gesture in an elaborate post-match press conference. Nevertheless, his gesture received a fierce backlash from the Kosova Tennis Federation (KFA).

Novak Djokovic signs camera lens and leaves a controversial political message

Among tennis players, signing camera lenses following victories in competitive matches has become a custom these days. Djokovic did the same after he registered a majorly dominant win against Aleksandar Kovacevic. However, Djokovic’s sign consisted of more than just his signature. The World No. 3 also wrote, “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop violence.”

Djokovic even went on to re-share his politically loaded message on Instagram. The KFA (Kosova Tennis Federation)  didn’t take to Djokovic’s words too kindly. In an official statement, the KFA lashed out at the World No.2. According to the KFA, such a message “directly results in raising the level of tension between two countries, Serbia and Kosova”.

The fact that the KFA felt Djokovic’s message was inappropriate stemmed from how the Serb wrote the spelling of the country’s name. While Djokovic’s version of the spelling is how the country is known internationally, in Kosovo itself, the Albanian name Kosova is used. Djokovic’s message comes on the back of rampant violence in Kosovo following April’s local elections in the country. In his post-match press conference, Djokovic said, “As a Serb, everything that’s happening in Kosovo hurts me a lot.”

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Djokovic’s gesture comes on the back of Marta Kostyuk’s politically motivated act against Aryna Sabalenka

For whatever reason, some players have decided to bring their political opinions to the Stade Roland Garros this year. The trend started at the tournament’s very first match between Aryna Sabalenka and Marta Kostyuk. Ahead of the match, Ukrainian Kostyuk issued a stern warning that she would not shake Sabalenka’s hand. Ultimately, Kostyuk stuck to her words. Kostyuk’s handshake refusal stemmed from Sabalenka’s silence on Russia and Belarus’ military operations in Ukraine.

Sabalenka deservedly won the match as she focused on tennis. However, she received constant jeers from Kostyuk’s supporters in the crowd, who continued to harass Sabalenka on social media. Fortunately, Sabalenka’s fans backed her up brilliantly and gave her some much-needed strength to cope with all the harassment.

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