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Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic has stepped up his scandalous comments that "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia", prompting harsh criticism from the French sports minister.
"I would say it again, but I don't need to because you have my quotes," Djokovic told reporters at Roland-Garros after his second-round win at the French Open tennis tournament, according to French news outlet AFP.
"I'm aware that a lot of people would disagree, but it is what it is," added the 22-time Grand Slam winner.
"It's something I stand for," he said.
Djokovic, one of the most successful athletes in tennis history, sparked criticism on Monday at the Paris tournament.
"Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence,” Djokovic wrote in Serbian on the TV camera screen after his first-round victory.
Clashes between police and Kosovo Serb protesters in northern Kosovo have sparked a resurgence of long-standing tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, which declared its independence in 2008 but is not recognized by Belgrade. Dozens were injured in the latest clashes, including NATO soldiers.
In an interview with POLITICO, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti blamed Serbia for the latest escalation and warned that it could turn into a wider conflict — but that, he said, "depends" on Belgrade.
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