"Imagine if a Russian player wrote 'Ukraine is the heart of Russia'" - Tennis fans fume over Novak Djokovic's controversial camera note at French Open

Novak Djokovic sparked outrage among tennis fans by addressing the recent conflict between Serbia and Kosovo in a camera message after his opening round victory against Aleksandar Kovacevic at the 2023 French Open.

Tensions arose in Kosovo when ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo clashed with the local police and NATO peacekeepers. The violence stemmed from a dispute over the April elections, which the majority Serb population boycotted and resisted ethnic Albanians assuming their elected positions. Despite international recognition of Kosovo's independence since 2008, Serbia maintains its stance of considering the region as its own.

Following his 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(1) win over Kovacevic, Djokovic called for an end to the violence and called Kosovo the heart of Serbia.

"Kosovo is the heart of Serbia! Stop violence," he wrote.

Several tennis fans were enraged by Djokovic's words, hypothetically equating them to Russian players making a similar claim over Ukraine.

"How is this acceptable by the organizers!? Imagine if a russian player wrote "ukraine is the heart of russia"!" a fan said.

""Ukraine is the heart of Russia, stop the violence" Imagine that sentence, from any renowned Athlete...Outrageous!" another fan said.

Other fans pointed out the World No. 3's tendency to frequently find himself embroiled in controversy.

"Omg he didn’t have controversy around him for a while, he must be bored," a user posted.

"Novak scratching his veins when he doesn't do some far-right shit that gets him into trouble for 6 months," another fan chimed in.

Here are some more fan reactions to Djokovic's camera message:

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"I am not holding back, I would do it again" - Novak Djokovic on his controversial camera note at French Open

Novak Djokovic through to the second round at the 2023 French Open

Novak Djokovic stood by his words on the conflict between Kosovo and Serbia, stating that he would do the same again despite the objections on social media. He disclosed that he had not been approached by the French Open organizers in regards to his camera message.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen – I heard that there have been many objections on social media – whether I will be punished … I am not holding back, I would do it again," he said in his post-match press conference.

Djokovic will be up against Marton Fucsovics, who defeated Hugo Grenier 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-3, in the second round of the French Open. The Serb has emerged victorious in each of their four meetings on the tour, winning their most recent clash at the 2021 Paris Masters in three sets.