The awakening of Novak Djokovic, scheduled for a night session on Wednesday at Roland-Garros, risks being a little painful. For good reason, the Minister of Sports and former director of the FFT, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, commented on the exit of the Serb on Kosovo which would be, in her words “the heart of Serbia”. A political message not really well received by AOC.
Asked about France 2, the minister, former director of the French Tennis Federation (FFT), indicated that “it is not appropriate”. “It must not start again,” she said, taxing this message as “militant” and “very political”. She specified that the director of the tournament “was able to exchange with him and with his entourage”, evoking the principle “of neutrality of the playing field”. After his match won Monday against the American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7/1), Novak Djokovic, armed with his marker, wrote a few words in Cyrillic on the camera of the Philippe- Chatrier: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia! Stop the violence. »
The Roland-Garros ethics charter prohibits political or religious positions. But the FFT published a rather sibylline press release, without addressing the question of a possible sanction: “The debates which cross the international news sometimes invite themselves on the sidelines of the tournament, it is understandable”, simply declared the federation.
Ukraine, “not on the same level”
Invited to comment on the expression of political positions during this Grand Slam tournament, such as those of Ukrainian athletes since the Russian invasion of their country, the minister stressed that she did not put “the two subjects on the same level”. “When we carry messages that are for the defense of human rights, messages that bring people together around universal values, an athlete is free to do so,” she said. But, when it comes to a “militant, very political” message like that of the Serbian player, “this must not happen again”.
Conversely, “what is happening to Ukrainians on the circuit is so painful, so difficult,” she explained. “We can understand, even if we would like there to always be fair play until the end of shaking hands, there is a pain that is there, which I respect,” she added. On Sunday, Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk did not greet Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka after their match, which earned her the whistles from the Roland-Garros public.