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☆ Djokovic owes growth of his career to 'biggest rival' Nadal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Both players are tied on a record 22 Grand Slam titles but Djokovic can inch ahead at Roland Garros where he had managed to beat Nadal only twice in 10 meetings. I don't like seeing him in the draw of Roland Garros," Djokovic told reporters with a laugh. "I have had not so much success against him in our head-to-head record in Roland Garros. "Definitely a great motivational factor for me to keep playing and keep competing and keep pushing each other - who's going achieve more, who's going to do better." "It made me wonder, it made me think about my career and how long I'm going to play," Djokovic said.

[1/5] People attend a protest "Serbia against violence" in reaction to the two mass shootings in the same week, that have shaken the country, in Belgrade, Serbia, May 27, 2023. REUTERS/Marko DjuricaBELGRADE, May 27 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands braved rain and wind in Belgrade on Saturday in an anti-government protest over two mass shootings that killed 18 people, blaming the deaths on a culture of violence that critics say authorities have allowed to permeate society. On May 3 a teenage boy killed nine pupils and a security guard in Belgrade in the first school mass shooting in Serbia, and a day later a 21-year-old man killed eight outside the city. It was the fourth such protest in as many weeks, with demonstrators turning up in similar numbers to the previous three rallies despite bad weather. On Friday, tens of thousands of people bussed-in from across Serbia, neighbouring Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and North Macedonia rallied in the centre of Belgrade in a show of support for Vucic.

☆ French Open preview: With Rafael Nadal absent and Iga Światek's dominance under threat, tournament is hard to call
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —It felt like the beginning of the end of an era at the French Open when Rafael Nadal announced his absence from the tournament earlier this month. How to watchIn the United States, the French Open is available to watch on NBC, streaming service Peacock, Tennis Channel, and Bally Sports. A list of international broadcasters and the full draw are available on the French Open website. “A new generation is here already,” Djokovic said after his quarterfinal defeat at the Italian Open. Questions about scheduling may persist in the coming weeks given the way night sessions were scrutinized at last year’s French Open.

☆ Serbia's President Vucic steps down as head of ruling party
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stepped down as leader of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) at a party congress on Saturday, saying a new approach was needed to unite the country, but said he would remain head of state. Another anti-government protest is scheduled for later on Saturday. Leaders of the SNS accepted Vucic's resignation offer at the party congress in Kragujevac, central Serbia, and appointed defense minister Milos Vucevic to replace him, as Vucic had proposed. Opposition parties and rights watchdogs have long accused Vucic and the SNS of autocracy, stifling media freedoms, violence against political opponents, corruption and ties with organized crime. Vucic and his allies deny the accusations.

☆ UK, France, Italy, Germany and U.S. condemn Kosovo violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, May 26 (Reuters) - Britain, France, Italy, Germany and the United States condemned Kosovo's decision to force access to municipal buildings in northern Kosovo on Friday, calling on the authorities to step back and de-escalate the situation. "We condemn Kosovo's decision to force access to municipal buildings in northern Kosovo despite our call for restraint. Police fired tear gas in the town of Zvecan to disperse a crowd from in front of a municipality building. The protesters were trying to prevent a newly-elected ethnic Albanian mayor from entering his office following an election which Kosovo Serbs had boycotted. Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic pledged to "practically disarm" his country, with the government quickly launching a month-long amnesty for illegal weapons. Political opponents - who have long demanded tighter arms controls - call the move a populist step that cannot solve Serbia's illegal weapons problem, while organising mass protests against the violence they say permeates society. Prices of illegal weapons on the 1990s black market in Serbia were as low as $10 for a hand grenade and $150 for an assault rifle, and many were smuggled outside the country. Between 2012 and 2016 Serbia registered a total of 10,061 gun-related crimes, neighbouring Albania 6,815 and Bosnia 5,616, SEESAC's data shows. Duquet said that while the situation in Serbia was not comparable to the United States, which has far more frequent mass shootings, the country's latest attempt to disarm may form a useful precedent closer to home as war rages again in Europe.

☆ Tens of thousands gather in Belgrade protest over mass shootings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Serbia's main opposition parties protest against violence and in reaction to the two mass shootings in the same week, that have shaken the country, in Belgrade, Serbia, May 19, 2023. REUTERS/Marko... Read moreBELGRADE, May 19 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands marched through Belgrade on Friday in an anti-government protest following two mass shootings that killed 18 people, blaming the deaths on a culture of violence that critics say authorities have allowed to fester unchecked. Reuters estimated the protest, the third of its kind this month, drew a crowd in the tens of thousands. The government denies the opposition parties' allegations and accuses them of organising the protests for political gain. In a counter-rally in Pancevo, a town outside Belgrade, Vucic accused the opposition of trying to use the mass shootings for self promotion.

☆ Rune repeats Djokovic upset to storm into Rome semi-finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

For the first time since 2004, neither Djokovic nor the injured Rafa Nadal will be in the Rome final. Rune outlasted Djokovic in three sets in last year's Paris Masters final and the 20-year-old made the perfect start in search of another upset by breaking the world number one in the opening game of the match. "Obviously, I did it last year in Paris, but every match is a huge challenge when I play Novak. "He's one of the greatest to ever play the game so I knew I had to be at my best. Rune said he hoped to stay humble after another statement win on the ATP Tour.

☆ Flawless Djokovic crushes Norrie to reach Rome quarter-finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 16, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates winning his round of 16 match against Britain's Cameron Norrie REUTERS/Aleksandra SzmigielROME, May 16 (Reuters) - Holder Novak Djokovic blasted past Briton Cameron Norrie 6-3 6-4 in a tense encounter to reach the Italian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday and remain on track for a seventh title in Rome. The duo swapped breaks early in a spicy second set where Norrie's overhead shot hit Djokovic on the leg after the Serbian had turned his back on the net. The 22-times Grand Slam champion continued to stare down Norrie at the end of the fifth game. "So far so good," Djokovic, who will meet seventh seed Holger Rune or Alexei Popyrin in the last eight, said of his progress in Rome. Iga Swiatek continues her title defence when she takes on Donna Vekic for a place in the women's quarter-finals.

☆ Novak Djokovic wasn’t happy after Cameron Norrie hit the back of Serbian’s leg with a smash in feisty Italian Open match
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Thomas Schlachter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The incident occurred at the start of the second set and despite an instant apology from Norrie, Djokovic did not respond well, proceeding to stare down his opponent. Justin Setterfield/Getty Images“Maybe you could say he didn’t hit me deliberately,” Djokovic told reporters after his 6-3 6-4 win in the round of 16. He’s allowed to hit a player. He’s allowed to say ‘come on’ in the face more or less every single point from basically first game. Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty ImagesHowever, Djokovic didn’t let his unhappiness with Norrie impact his form on the court as he eased towards a place in the Italian Open quarterfinals.

☆ Djokovic battles past Dimitrov in Rome, Swiatek cruises
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The former world number three did however reel off four straight games from 2-4 to take the second set and force a decider. But the world number one hit back to claim the next 12 for a 6-2 6-0 victory that extended her Rome win streak to 13 matches. Sixth seed Coco Gauff later crashed out against Marie Bouzkova, who sealed a 4-6 6-2 6-2 win. Daniil Medvedev broke his Rome duck on his fourth attempt with a clinical second-round win over Emil Ruusuvuori. "It's a little bit (of a relief)," Medvedev said after his 6-4 6-2 win.

☆ Serbia Offers Amnesty for Illegal Firearms, and Thousands Are Collected
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Cora Engelbrecht | Joe Orovic | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The Serbian authorities have collected thousands of weapons in a sweeping campaign to reduce the number of firearms in the hands of civilians in the week after two mass shootings stunned the country, officials said Friday. More than 9,000 illegal and legal weapons have been collected, according to Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vucic, who called the effort “a great step forward for a safer environment for our children” and “all our people,” at a news conference on Friday. “Some people say it’s not the gun that shoots the bullet but a man,” he said. “But if that man doesn’t have a gun, the evil in his head can’t do any harm.”Mr. Vucic did not specify if all the guns had been handed over voluntarily or if some had been seized.

Persons: Aleksandar Vucic, ”, Mr, Vucic Organizations: Serbian

☆ Nikola Jokić makes history with triple-double to lead Denver Nuggets to big Game 5 win leaving Phoenix Suns on the ropes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Nikola Jokić made history with a triple-double on Tuesday night to lead the Denver Nuggets to a comfortable 118-102 Game 5 win in their Western Conference playoff series against the Phoenix Suns. The Nuggets were spearheaded as usual by Jokić, who created yet more history with his excellent all-around performance. Brown provided a key thrust for Denver throughout, scoring 25 points off the bench, something Jokić was keen to praise. Devin Booker led the way for the Suns with 28 points while Durant added 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. The home team has now won every game in the series so far, with Game 6 taking place in Phoenix on Thursday.

[1/5] People attend a protest "Serbia against violence" in reaction to recent mass shootings that have shaken the country, in Belgrade, Serbia, May 8, 2023. Crowds in numbers not seen in the Balkan country for years, solemnly marched through the city centre behind a banner reading "Serbia Against Violence". Opposition parties and some rights groups accuse President Aleksandar Vucic and his ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of autocracy, oppressing media freedoms, violence against political opponents, cronyism, corruption, and ties with organised crime. In response to the shootings, Serbia's police on Monday started a one-month amnesty for surrendering illegal weapons. In addition to existing gun laws, Vucic announced police checks of registered gun owners.

☆ Alcaraz beats Struff to clinch back-to-back Madrid titles
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, May 7 (Reuters) - World number two Carlos Alcaraz beat lucky loser Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4 3-6 6-3 in the Madrid Open final on Sunday to defend last year's title and win his fourth ATP Tour trophy of the year and his tenth overall. Alcaraz, who had an injury-plagued start to the season, came back in top form last month to win the Barcelona Open for the second consecutive year. In Madrid, the 20-year-old Spaniard had to play his best tennis to beat a relentless Struff in three sets in a packed Caja Magica. The German fought back to return the favour, making things uncomfortable for the world number two with his aggressive tactics and relentlessly attacking Alcaraz’s serve. Struff nailed every return to break serve in the fourth game but the Spaniard produced another break and closed the set 6-4.

☆ Alcaraz set to reclaim number one spot in Rome after Madrid triumph
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, May 7 (Reuters) - Carlos Alcaraz is raring to get to Italy next week to compete in the Rome Masters for the first time in his career and reclaim the world number one spot from Novak Djokovic. To maintain the points won at an event a player must at least match the tally from the previous year. Alcaraz skipped the Rome Masters last year due to an ankle injury so has no points to defend while Djokovic won in Rome last year and thus cannot improve his overall points total. "I am an ambitious guy and I'm going full for the win in Rome," Alcaraz told a news conference on Sunday. I just have won my 10th title, my fourth Masters 1000, back-to-back titles here in Madrid and very close to reclaiming the number one world spot.

☆ Serbian man confesses to killing eight in shooting rampage, prosecutors say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In a statement seen by Reuters, the prosecutors said a man identified only as U.B. A girl shot in the head in a school shooting in Serbia in which eight pupils and a guard were killed is still in critical condition, RTS state TV reported on Saturday. Burials were being held on Saturday for four of the pupils and the guard killed in the school shooting and five young men killed in the second rampage. Following the shootings, the government introduced a set of measures aimed at preventing violence in schools and reducing the number of weapons held by civilians. The suspect in the school shooting is a 13-year-old boy who police said surrendered on Wednesday after taking two of his father's handguns to carry out the shooting.

☆ ‘We Can’t Believe That’s Happening Here’: Serbia Reflects After Shootings
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Serbia on Saturday mourned the loss of 17 people in two mass shootings in two days, as the nation grappled with its own culture of guns. The funerals of several victims took place on Saturday, the second of three official days of mourning for the consecutive killings at a school in Belgrade, the Serbian capital, and in nearby farming villages. A day later, another gunman raced through villages in a car with an assault rifle, killing eight people and wounding at least 14 others. “We can’t believe that’s happening here,” Milana Vanovac, 56, said as she looked at the impromptu memorials on Saturday. “We thought mass shootings were a problem for other countries, not for us.”

Belgrade, Serbia CNN —Serbians are reeling and demanding answers after two mass shootings in less than 48 hours left multiple people dead, with widespread calls for tough action to prevent any further repeat of such tragedies. You could never dream that this would happen here,” Belgrade resident Marko Kovacevic told CNN. “This is the worst thing that happened in Serbia since the bombing in 1999,” another resident, David Stevens, told CNN at a vigil in Belgrade. The murderer had no empathy or remorse,” he told CNN in an interview on Thursday. His deputy, Milan Pašić, told CNN his boss had offered his resignation, but it was not clear if it would be accepted.

☆ What’s Behind Serbia’s Gun Violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Cora Engelbrecht | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Back-to-back shootings in Serbia this week, one in a school, have stunned the population and brought global attention to gun control in a country with one of the world’s highest rates of gun ownership. Promising an “almost complete disarmament,” the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, said on Friday that he planned to introduce sweeping changes to tighten gun regulations in response to the two shootings, one by a minor and the other with an illegal firearm. He also called for a one-month amnesty on Friday for gun owners to surrender illegal weapons without penalty ahead of the more stringent measures. Here is a look at Serbia’s trouble with guns and the restrictions the government proposed this week.

Persons: Aleksandar Vucic Locations: Serbia, Serbian

[1/6] People pay tribute following a school mass shooting, after a boy opened fire on others, killing fellow students and staff in Belgrade, Serbia, May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Antonio BronicBELGRADE, May 4 (Reuters) - Two pupils wounded in Serbia's first mass school shooting were in critical condition on Thursday, health officials said, as the country prepared for three days of national mourning. A teacher and six pupils were wounded. Milika Asanin, director of the University hospital, said that the condition of a severely wounded boy treated there had improved, but was still considered critical, the Tanjug news agency reported. The remaining children and the teacher treated in the two hospitals were in stable condition, both Ducic and Asanin said.

☆ Girl wounded in Serbia school shooting is critical, doctor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] People pay tribute following a school mass shooting, after a boy opened fire on others, killing fellow students and staff in Belgrade, Serbia, May 4, 2023. "The girl who underwent an urgent surgery yesterday due to head injuries ... remains in critical condition and in intensive care," Sinisa Ducic, the acting director at the city's Tirsova hospital, told reporters. They are being treated in the Tirsova hospital and the city's University Hospital. Two wounded boys in the Tirsova hospital were in stable condition and were expected to be discharged in coming days, Ducic said. The suspected shooter used two pistols that belonged to his father, police said on Wednesday.

CNN —At least eight people have been killed and 13 wounded in a shooting in the Serbian village of Dubona, the country’s Interior Ministry spokesperson told CNN. The incident happened on Thursday night at 11pm local time, Serbia’s Interior Ministry spokesperson said. All special police units are engaged, including an anti-terrorism unit, helicopter unit, and police forces from the cities of Belgrade and Smederevo. Until this week, mass shootings were rare in Serbia, despite the country’s high rate of gun ownership. Serbia has the highest level of civilian gun ownership in Europe, and the fifth-highest in the world – a legacy of years of conflict in the 1990s.

☆ Two killed, several injured in Serbian village shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BELGRADE, May 4 (Reuters) - At least two people were killed and several injured in a shooting in the town of Mladenovac, 42 kilometres (26 miles)south of Belgrade, Tanjug news agency reported, quoting the ministry of interior. "Two people are not showing any signs of life, and several were injured," Tanjug reported. Nova S reported on its web site that two were killed and seven injured when an unknown gunman shot from a moving vehicle. On Wednesday a 13-year old boy shot dead nine and injured seven at a school before turning himself in. Reporting by Ivana Sekularac Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A Day After a School Shooting, Belgrade Is Consumed With Grief
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Constant Méheut | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The wax ran in streaks on the sidewalk outside a school in Belgrade, left by the hundreds of candles lit by residents of the Serbian capital mourning the deaths of eight children gunned down by a 13-year-old classmate. On Thursday, the morning after the shooting by a teenager armed with pistols he had taken from his father’s home, hundreds more people came to express their grief outside the school in an upscale neighborhood of Belgrade after the attack that also left a security guard dead. Their eyes brimming with tears, they lit more candles, lay white flowers and hung messages scrawled on paper on fences near the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school in a central part of the Serbian capital. “We’re all shocked and saddened,” said Luka Zivkovic, 18, a student from a nearby school who had come with dozens of schoolmates to pay his respects.

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