French Tennis Federation Won't Fine Djokovic Over Controversial Kosovo Message

French Tennis Federation Won't Fine Djokovic Over Controversial Kosovo Message

by Balasz Virag

Novak Djokovic wrote a message of support to the Serbian people after his Roland Garros win over Kovacevic but the action was controversial.

Novak Djokovic made a really good start at this year's Roland Garros beating Aleksandar Kovacevic in straight sets. While the performance was solid, the talking point wasn't the match itself. It was what happened after the match as Djokovic wrote a message on the camera which received mixed reactions on social media.

The Serbian sent support to the Serbian people in Kosovo though the way he did it received criticism. His message made it seem like the independent country was still part of Serbia even though it was an independent country. The independence was never acknowledged by Serbia or the majority of Serbians.

A very political statement was refuted as such by Djokovic himself when he explained the controversial message following the match. His explanation and comments after the match to Serbian media showed that Djokovic was aware of the risky move considering that he admitted to hearing some discontent about it even wondering out loud whether a fine could be in play.

The tennis federation of Kosovo launched a formal complaint to the governing bodies of the sport branding Djokovic's move a provocation and demanding a fine. That won't be happening as the organizers released a statement that briefly touched upon the subject confirming that Djokovic didn't break any rules.

There are no official Grand Slam rules on what players can or cannot say. The FFT (French Federation of Tennis) will not be making any statement or taking any stance on this matter.

That appears the case as Karen Khachanov avoided a fine earlier this year after writing a message of support for Artsakh, an Armenian-majority territory which proclaimed independence from Azerbaijan though it was never recognised under international law.

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