Novak Djokovic will escape punishment from the French Federation of Tennis after sparking controversy following his French Open first-round victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic.
Djokovic wrote a contentious message on a camera lens in the aftermath, related to the ongoing conflict between his home country of Serbia and Kosovo, which read:
“Kosovo is the heart of Serbia! Stop violence.”
According to French Open organisers, the 36-year-old is unlikely to face any sanctions and will continue on his path to a third title at Roland-Garros – one of tennis’ four major championships.
“There are no official Grand Slam rules on what players can or cannot say,” the statement reads. “The FFT [French Federation of Tennis] will not be making any statement or taking any stance on this matter.”
According to tennis betting sites, the Serbian is the second favourite to win the tournament at a price of 11/5.
Carlos Alcaraz leads the market at 6/4 and sent a stern warning to Djokovic after a fine opening display against Flavio Cobolli.
RELATED: French Open Odds 2023: Carlos Alcaraz Primed For First Roland-Garros Title
Novak Djokovic wrote “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence” after his win today at Roland Garros pic.twitter.com/75fSplaVZZ
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 29, 2023
In his post-match press conference, Djokovic defended his actions and reiterated this was a message he felt he needed to spread.
“[This] is the least I could have done. I feel the responsibility as a public figure – doesn’t matter in which field – to give support.”
The Belgrade-born star is familiar with being in controversial light after his opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine which forced him to skip a range of tournaments in 2022 including the Australian and US Open.
Off the court, Djokovic is an active philanthropist and charitable man – founder of the Novak Djokovic Foundation – committed to supporting children from disadvantaged communities.
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