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A provocative gift: Novak Djokovic receives a bottle of Serbian liquor and poses for a photo. Solo: The brand pays tribute to a controversial war general.
Once again in trouble: Novak Djokovic.
Pictures: imago
Recently, the Serbian was repeatedly criticized. For example, because he freaked out at the US Open when he knocked down a linesman in frustration and was therefore disqualified.
Or for his Adria Tour, in which Alexander Zverev also participated. This took place in the midst of the first wave of the corona pandemic.
Smile proudly at the camera. Novak Djokovic seems to be delighted with his gift. A maker of rakija, a typical Serbian brandy, had introduced the tennis star to his specialty, and Djokovic now poses with her. And therefore it causes many problems in its neighboring countries.
Because the box shows Draža Mihailovic, Chetnik leader in WWII. While Mihailovic is considered a hero, especially by Serbian nationalists, he is particularly hated in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania. For them he is a war criminal and collaborator responsible for tens of thousands of murders with their ethnic cleansing. Mihailovic was sentenced to death and executed in 1946, rehabilitated by a controversial verdict of the Supreme Court of Appeal of Serbia.
A political message?
The fact that Djokovic poses fresh and happy with such a controversial figure is now heavily criticized. For example, the Bosnian website Klix.ba writes: “With a photo you destroy everything that you have built over the years. His reputation is now permanently damaged. “The Bosnian” Faktor “is also outraged:” In addition to the photo of the man responsible for the deaths of more than 50,000 people, the rakija box also bears the inscription “Made in honor and glory of the heroes of Ravna Gora ›.» And the Croatian online newspaper “Index” reacted without understanding the fact that Djokovic posed with the image of a person “who had committed serious crimes against Croats and Muslims.” The media believe that Djokovic wants to send a political message to the world.
In Serbia, the photo caused less of a stir. Rather, the newspaper “Večernje novosti” sees an attempted dirt campaign: “The media in Croatia are trying to criticize our tennis player for posing with a rakija.” Djokovic himself did not comment on the controversy.
Eventually, the Serb went from one misstep to the next. He was disqualified at the US Open because he knocked down a linesman, before causing many head shakes with his tour of the Adriatic amid the first wave of the corona pandemic.
