Yahoo Finance Andy Murray defends players’ right to free speech amid Djokovic Kosovo row
Sir Andy Murray has defended players’ right to freedom of speech amid a row over comments made by Novak Djokovic on Kosovan independence.
The two-time Wimbledon champion said sportsmen should be allowed to make political messages at sporting events but warned against “hypocrisy” when airing their views.
While Sir Andy did not directly comment on Djokovic’s comments, he said: “No athlete should be stopped from freedom of speech, I don’t think that’s fair.
“You often hear athletes, journalists, and commentators say that sports and politics shouldn’t mix, but they do.”
Sir Andy’s comments come after Djokovic triggered a backlash at his first match in Paris at the French Open on Monday after writing a nationalist slogan on a camera lens.
The Serbian tennis player wrote: “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop violence.”
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is recognised by 100 countries but Belgrade has refused to do so.
Sir Andy added that athletes need to be “careful not to be hypocritical” when making public political statements.
Djokovic was unable to appear at the US Open last year and several other high profile events because of countries’ rules during the pandemic which required visitors to prove they had been vaccinated.
The player has been vocal about his opposition to vaccines saying he would not “want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine in order to be able to travel.”
Sir Andy added: “When politics have supposedly influenced decisions that have been harmful to their [sportsmen] careers they argue sports and politics should not mix.
“But then they’re more than happy to talk on matters that they agree with.”
“They [athletes and players] like taking photos with prime ministers and world leaders”, as long as their politics align, Sir Andy added.
“In many countries, prime ministers and government officials celebrate athletes’ victories and big wins. They’re always around at sporting events and it is a privilege to to be invited to the White House or Downing Street.
“We have a responsibility as athletes to try and bring people together and not necessarily to divide each other.
“I think everyone should be allowed to voice their opinions, I think that’s very important. Just like it should be okay for everyone to disagree with them.”
Djokovic has stood by his comments on Kosovan independence despite France’s sports minister, the former tennis player Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, calling the tennis player’s intervention “very militant” and “not appropriate”.
Serbian demonstrations have turned violent in northern Kosovo in recent days over the installation of ethnically Albanian mayors in a disputed election, and dozens of Nato peacekeepers were injured.
After his match, Djokovic told Serbian newspaper Blic that he felt “responsible” to speak out.
“I am not a politician and I have no intention of getting into political debates,” Djokovic said.
“As a Serb, it hurts me a lot what is happening in Kosovo, our people who are expelled from the municipalities. The least I could do is this, I feel responsible as a public figure and the son of a man who was born in Kosovo, I feel the need to show support to all of Serbia.”
Sir Andy was speaking ahead of his appearance at Wimbledon next month. The 36-year-old pulled out of the French Open at the end of May to focus on training for Wimbledon which he won in 2013 and 2016.
He said: “It was a difficult decision.
“My team felt like it would give me a better chance at Wimbledon if I missed the French Open and prepared earlier on the grass courts.
“I’ve obviously not played well in the last couple of months, but focusing on training on grass courts should give me a good chance to have a good run at Wimbledon”.
Wimbledon is not Sir Andy’s sole focus as he is in the midst of preparing for retirement. One of his several business ventures includes the sportswear clothing brand he backs called Castore.
The Manchester-based sportswear brand behind Sir Andy’s AMC clothing line is worth £750m.
Sir Andy became a shareholder in 2019 after deciding that the company would be able to offer him a long term deal which “would go far past [his] tennis career”.
“It was a bigger deal than any other clothing deal I’d done with a brand before. It’ll be there after I’m playing”, he added. This marks his longest deal with a clothing brand.
Other ventures include the Cromlix Hotel that he and his wife, Kim Sears, own in Scotland, a project which Sir Andy is “particularly proud of”.
He added: “I feel very attached to that hotel and that’s why I want to continue investing in it and continue to make it better.”
