Kosovo Olympic Committee demands disciplinary steps against Djokovic for "Kosovo is heart of Serbia" statement

Moscow: Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic is in soup after he wrote "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia" on a television camera lens earlier this week at the French Open on Monday.

This conduct of the Serbian star has forced the President of Kosovo Olympic Committee to request the heads of the International Olympic Committee and the International Tennis Federation respond to it.

Djokovic wrote the controversial message after defeating American Alexander Kovacevic in a first-round match at the French Open.

"As president of the organisation, I feel obligated to voice my concern as I ask you to react to Djokovic’s action on behalf of the International Olympic Committee, since such messages and actions represent a danger to the future of sports if they are left unpunished," Ismet Krasniqi said in separate letters to the heads of the IOC and the ITF.

He flayed Djokovic’s behavior as being in violation of athletic principles and the Olympic spirit, as well as the Olympic Charter.

"Despite Novak Djokovic being one of the best tennis players, such behavior is inadmissible as it creates a dangerous precedent where sports may be used as a platform for political messages, programs and propaganda," Krasniqi added.

The French Tennis Federation (FFT), however, refused to censure Djokovic, saying that there were no official Grand Slam rules on the matter.

Meanwhile, French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera castigated Djokovic’s message as "inappropriate and very political."

Djokovic is a Grand Slam record holder in men’s singles. The Serbian tennis star and Spain’s Rafael Nadal hold 22 titles each.

On Monday, KFOR attacked Serbs who were protesting in front of the municipal government building in Zvecan in Kosovo and Metohija early that morning.

On Friday, Serbian President Alexander Vucic appealed to the North Atlantic Alliance to take immediate steps to stop the violence against Serbs in Kosovo. (UNI)