Novak Djokovic defeated his compatriot Miomir Kecmanovic 2 sets to 1 on Thursday to qualify for the semifinals of the ATP 250 Belgrade, a tournament he has won three times. However, the most important thing was his statements about the upcoming Grand Slam tournament of the season, Wimbledon.
The Serbian athlete commented on some rules of the British championship, as Russian and Belarusian tennis players were banned from competing due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the support of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko for President Vladimir Putin. He also made it clear that he is against all wars.
Novak Djokovic has won the Wimbledon Tournament 6 times. Photo: EFE
The popular Nole stressed that he himself is a product of war and knows how traumatic and damaging it is for anyone who experiences it. Despite this, he disagreed with the decisions of the British authorities to mix political issues with sports.
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"I will always condemn war, I will never support war being myself a child of war. I know the emotional trauma it leaves. In Serbia, we all know what happened in 1999. In the Balkans, we have had many wars in recent history," Djokovic declared at a press conference.
Novak Djokovic could not participate in the Australian Open because he was not vaccinated. Photo: AFP
"However, I cannot support Wimbledon's decision, I think it's crazy. When politics interferes in sports, the result is not good," added the world number 1 tennis player, who will have the chance to continue leading the ATP ranking because his closest pursuer, Daniil Medvedev, will not participate as he is Russian.