THE AUDACITY OF NOLE

Novak Djokovic loves unconventional methods, articulates unscientific theories, holds outdated views of nationalism, carries the burden of coming from a small east European state and evokes negative reactions. But no one can question his skill, determination and triumphs that put him right on top of the world of tennis 

- AJISH P. JOY

Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence,” Novak Djokovic, the controversy-prone hero of men’s tennis, wrote on a television camera after his first round victory at Roland-Garros this year. French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra said what he did was inappropriate and issued a warning, but Djokovic said he stood by his statement. “I would say it again… Of course I am aware that a lot of people would disagree, but it is what it is,” he said.

Serbs have not accepted Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence. They comprise a majority in Kosovo’s north, while ethnic Albanians make up more than 90 per cent of the country’s total population. Djokovic was referring to the ethnic clashes that broke out earlier this year in the northern Kosovo town of Zveçan, the place where his father grew up. The clashes occurred after ethnic Albanian mayors took office in Serb-majority areas, following elections that the Serbs had boycotted.