Novak Djokovic claimed he is driven by drama as he stood by his incendiary claim that Kosovo belongs to Serbia. The Wimbledon champion caused a political storm on Monday when he wrote: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence” after his first round win at the French Open.
A mural with Djokovic’s image was defaced in Kosovo yesterday. And the French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said the message was “militant, very political” and “must not be repeated”. She added that the director of the French Open had spoken to Djokovic and his entourage.
The No 3 seed just signed the camera after beating Hungarian world No 83 Marton Fucsovics 7-6 6-0 6-3 last night to reach the third round here for the 18th consecutive year.
Asked about his Kosovo statement – and why he did not want a drama-free Grand Slam – Djokovic said: “Well, I don’t mind saying that. I mean, I would say it again, but I don’t need to because you have my quotes if you want to reflect on that. Of course I’m aware that a lot of people would disagree, but it is what it is. It’s something that I stand for. So that’s all. You know, drama-free Grand Slam, I don’t think it can happen for me. I guess that drives me, as well.”
Asked about Oudea-Castera, he said: “No. I have no more comment on that. I said what I needed to say.” A former province of Serbia, Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence is not recognised by Belgrade.
Djokovic needed 90 minutes to win an epic first set against Hungarian world No 83 Marton Fucsovics before winning in two hours and 43 minutes.
In his courtside interview, he told the crowd in Court Philippe-Chatrier: “I hope you enjoyed the match tonight – I didn’t enjoy the first set much! It was a very intense match, especially in the first set. I managed to play better in the second and third sets.”
And he later admitted he had suffered from nerves during the contest. “Well, I think because it was 7-6 in one-and-a-half hours, I mean, if I’m not nervous on the court, there are two reasons, or I’m very loose and comfortable and confident, or I don’t care much about playing or winning,” said Djokovic. “Nervousness is part of my job, is part of what I do. Sometimes I express it; sometimes I internalise it. You know, at times, you know, I chat with myself. At times I chat with my team. The important thing is that whatever happens, that you manage to kind of regroup and go ahead in the right direction.”
Djokovic also went over to his team to get a patch – social media suggested it was a pain-managing magnet – to put on under his shirt during the gruelling contest. He later explained: “When I was a kid I liked Iron Man a lot, so I try to impersonate Iron Man. My team delivers an incredibly efficient nanotechnology to help me deliver my best on the court, so that’s the biggest secret of my career. If it wasn’t for that, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here.”
World No 2 Aryna Sabalenka saw off fellow Belarusian Iryna Shymanovich 7-5 6-2 – and then refused a request from a Ukrainian journalist to personally condemn the war and Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko. “I’ve got no comment for you,” she said.
Frenchman Gael Monfils has pulled out of the tournament with a wrist injury after winning a five-set epic in the early hours of Wednesday morning. “The doctor said it was not good to play with that type of injury,” he said.
