Tennis legend Novak Djokovic is disgusted at the ongoing violence in the country, saying "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence."

The message came after fighting erupted in northern Kosovo amid ethnic tensions.

Belgrade-born Djokovic wrote the message in Serbian after his first-round victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic on Philippe Chatrier Court at Roland Garros.

"Kosovo is our birthplace, our stronghold, the centre of the most important things for our country... There's a lot of reasons why I wrote that," the 36-year-old Djokovic told the media at the tournament.

NATO-led peacekeepers yesterday dispersed Serb protesters who again clashed with police in northern Kosovo to demand Albania's recently elected mayors be ousted as ethnic tensions flare in the Balkan nation.

At least 25 soldiers were wounded during the fighting, along with more than 50 protesters.
Kosovo's Serbs had boycotted last month's elections in northern cities, which allowed ethnic Albanians to take control of local councils despite the turnout of less than 3.5 percent of the electorate.

The government of Kosovo's prime minister, Albin Kurti, formally installed the mayors last week, defying calls to ease tensions between the EU and the United States, which fought for the region's independence from Serbia in 2008.