Novak Djokovic criticized for political message at French Open

Novak Djokovic is under fire for a political message he wrote onto a camera lens after his first-round win at the French Open on Monday. 

Moments after his victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic, the 22-time Grand Slam champion took to the winner's tradition of writing a message onto the lens of an on-court camera for fans watching at home. In his native Serbian, Djokovic wrote "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence."

Over the last three days, ethnic Serbs and NATO peacekeepers have clashed in the northern part of Kosovo. The southeast European nation has been criticized heavily by the European Union and the U.S. for not quelling the political unrest. While the current clash was sparked by controversial elections in the region, the conflict is rooted in Kosovo gaining independence from Serbia in 2008. Serbia doesn't officially recognize Kosovo's sovereignty. 

Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the French sports minister, said Djokovic's statement was "not appropriate," adding further comment on television, as transcribed by The Guardian:

“When you carry messages about defending human rights, messages that bring people together around universal values, a sportsperson is free to express them,” Oudea-Castera told broadcaster France 2. “But in this case it was a message that is very activist, that is very political. You shouldn’t get involved, especially in the current circumstances, and it shouldn’t happen again.”

Kosovo's Olympic committee has called for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to discipline Djokovic for his comments, and the country's tennis governing body also condemned his statement. Both say that the words have stirred up further tensions.

Raquet Magazine editor Ben Rothenberg pointed out that Djokovic only began to speak about the conflict recently, but he made a grand public statement after winning his first Grand Slam in 2008: