Novak Djokovic Breaks Rules with Political Message at Roland Garros

Author of a controversial message after his first round at Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic broke the rules of the tournament, liable to certain sanctions.

A joker for Djoko? The world number 3, Novak Djokovic, hit the headlines despite his success in the first all of Roland-Garros, in three sets against the American Aleksandar Kovacevic. After the victory, the Serb indulged in the traditional signature on the camera lens. But this time “Nole” swapped the autograph for a political message: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. stop the violence“. As a reminder, an escalation of violence is underway in this territory that was self-proclaimed independent in 2008 and is made up of around 120,000 Serbs. And for good reason, clashes between demonstrators and police took place in the North of the country – with a Serb majority – to protest against the arrival of Albanian-speaking mayors.

“He is emotional”: the president of the French tennis federation spares Djokovic

As a reminder, only the press conference room can be dedicated to the expression of political opinions, if the context allows it. Quite the opposite of the playground, a place of neutrality. It is the representative body of the Grand Slams – of which Roland-Garros is a part –The Slam Board qwho ensures the smooth running of the tournament. Before the start of the fortnight, the players sign a registration form and have their behavior monitored by two supervisors and the referee who can decide on a possible sanction, whether in the form of a fine or disqualification. With his militant gesture, the tennis player has therefore violated paragraph 2.5.2 of the Ethics Charter of the French Tennis Federation. Invited on the set of Télématin on May 31, its president Gilles Morreton has however defeated the idea of ​​​​a punishment, despite the proven offense. “There is no sanction for the moment because we know that he is emotional but it must not happen again on the ground” declared the president of the French Tennis Federation.

A preferential regime for Djokovic?

A turn of events which goes in the direction of what had advanced in our columns the flagship presenter of Roland-Garros Laurent Luyat Tuesday, May 30. “He knows that he exposes himself to sanctionsthen we’ll see, it’s Djokovic…” had declared the journalist France Télévisions, sketching a half smile. And even if the Serb is not a player like the others given his status and his aura on the circuit, other examples have shown that certain actions of political protest have not been followed by sanctions. The latest has already taken place at Roland-Garros when the Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with the Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka to warn of the inaction on the war in Ukraine.

A final warning for Novak Djokovic?

Anyway, this call to order should be the only and final warning for Novak Djokovic, in search of a 23rd Grand Slam Porte d’Auteuil title. Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, herself a former tennis player, agrees. “It was not appropriate, the tournament director (Amélie Mauresmo) was able to discuss with him, his entourage, it must not start again. There is a principle of neutrality of the field, of the game. This must not happen again.”