Serbian world No. 3 Novak Djokovic risked stirring up a political controversy at the French Open on Monday after writing a message about Kosovo following his first-round victory.
"Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence," 22-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic wrote on a camera lens in Serbian.
Around 30 NATO peacekeeping soldiers defending three town halls in northern Kosovo were injured in clashes with Serb protesters Monday, while Serbia's president put the army on the highest level of combat alert.
The incidents came a day after NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called on Kosovo to tone down tensions with Serbia following clashes between Kosovan police and protesters who are opposed to Albanian mayors taking office in ethnic Serbian areas.
Djokovic insisted he does not fear being punished for his potentially explosive message.
"Kosovo is our cradle, our stronghold, center of the most important things for our country," 36-year-old Djokovic told Serb media.
"As a public figure but also a son of a man who was born in Kosovo I feel additional responsibility to express my support to our people and Serbia as a whole," said Djokovic.
"I hear that there were many complaints on social media and from international journalists, saying someone would punish me but I have no remorse and would do it again as my stance is clear.
"But I am against war, violence and conflict of any kind and I have always publicly shown that."
Djokovic was hailed in his native Serbia.
"A man of his word and integrity. He proved to be one many times over, and repeated it in Paris by doing something that raced the hearts of all Serbs," commented the Alo tabloid newspaper.
The French tennis federation (FFT), which organizes the event, told Reuters that there were "no official Grand Slam rules on what players can or cannot say. The FFT will not be making any statement or taking any stance on this matter."
Djokovic will hope to avoid another political distraction at a Grand Slam after he defended his father at the Australian Open in January when a video emerged showing him posing with some fans holding Russian flags amid the war in Ukraine.
