Novak Djokovic mural in Belgrade painted over, artist restores it after protests

Novak Djokovic and his enactment for students successful Serbia proceed to provoke reactions from the authorities there. The latest determination that has attracted a batch of attraction is the removal of a mural successful the halfway of Belgrade, and the quality has resonated truthful overmuch that adjacent the Spanish AS wrote an nonfiction nether the rubric "Serbia has eliminated Djokovic".

"A country, oregon alternatively a portion of it, that present wants to erase him from its pantheon of idols. To demote him from the presumption of leader to the presumption of 'traitor'. The tennis subordinate has joined the pupil protests against President Aleksandar Vučić since the extremity of 2024, and this is taking its toll," the substance reads successful the introduction.

The mural successful the halfway of Belgrade was painted black, but its author, Andrej Josifovski, restored it successful little than 24 hours. However, the mural was not an mean representation of 1 of the top tennis players of each time. It showed Djokovic aft his triumph astatine Wimbledon, with a 'pumping' motion that symbolizes absorption to the authorities of President Vučić.

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The tennis subordinate past explained that it was not due to the fact that of politics, but due to the fact that of the opus "Pump It Up", which helium jokes astir with his children. A fewer months earlier, successful February, helium appeared astatine the hoops derby betwixt Partizan and Crvena zvezda wearing a T-shirt with the slogan 'Students are champions'.

"It didn't instrumentality agelong for Vučić, the president who praised the tennis subordinate with the top grounds successful past erstwhile helium was deported from Australia for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID and called it a 'witch hunt', to enactment Djokovic nether fire. A existent nationalist leader who shouted 'Serbia!' astatine the 2023 Roland Garros awards, erstwhile helium surpassed Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer successful the fig of Grand Slam tournaments won. The aforesaid antheral who, with nationalistic sentiments, wrote 'Kosovo is the bosom of Serbia: halt the violence' implicit a tv camera. The aforesaid antheral who received a diplomatic passport aft winning the Davis Cup successful 2010. Or the 1 who invested everything successful winning Olympic golden for his state successful 2024, the lone happening missing successful his career. His homeland is sacred," the Spaniards state.

Apparently, Djokovic precocious moved retired of Serbia and moved his tennis tournament, the ATP Belgrade, to Greece with him. "A 'traitor' now, for the government. An illustration and leader for a ample portion of the youth," the Spaniards conclude.