Graffiti "KLA" written over the mural with Novak Djokovic's image

A mural dedicated to the world's best tennis player, Novak Djokovic, in Orahovac, was destroyed overnight after he sent the message "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence" following his victory in the first round of the French Open, Radio Gorazdevac reports.

Residents of the upper part of Orahovac discovered the vandalized mural around 6 a.m. this morning.

The graffiti "KLA" was written over the mural, and the walls of buildings in the surrounding streets were painted with the same inscriptions.

The painting of Novak Djokovic's mural in the upper part of Orahovac is part of the "Color in the Air" project carried out by the organization "Amici Di Decani" in collaboration with the artist Deroks. At the beginning of last year, the artist painted murals according to the wishes and agreements with the hosts in Serbian-populated areas in Kosovo.

Earlier, residents of Orahovac expressed to Radio Gorazdevac that they see Novak as their hero.

"Nowhere in the world is he insulted more than here when he makes a mistake, and no one celebrates every point he wins as passionately as we do," one of the residents said to Radio Gorazdevac at that time.

Observers who had gathered after the painting had been completed had also commented that they didn't believe the mural would last long and feared it would be destroyed overnight.

The mural had previously been damaged when it was sprayed with paint, but the residents cleaned it the following day.