Novak Djokovic insists his father was “abused” by pro-Russian fans as he posed for photos at Melbourne Park and admits the escalating saga has taken its toll on his bid for a 10th Australian Open crown.
Srdjan Djokovic decided to watch his son’s victory over Tommy Paul in the semis off-site to avoid following a disturbance the emergence of a video of him with Vladimir Putin fans on Wednesday night.
The group, including a man holding a Russian flag with President Putin’s face on it, had gathered on steps outside the grand slam complex after Djokovic’s quarterfinal victory over Andrey Rublev.
Russian flags, the flag of the Russian eagle, Belarusian flags and items of clothing with the Z symbol are prohibited items in Melbourne Park amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, had called for Srdjan to be banned from the Open, but world number 5 launched a fierce defense of his father, stressing that his family was anti-war.
“It was unfortunate that the misinterpretation of what happened has escalated to such a high level,” Djokovic said. Friday’s 7-5 6-1 6-2 victory over Paul.
Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images
Srdjan Djokovic, father of Novak Djokovic, chose to watch his son’s Australian Open semifinal off-site after his controversial poses with Russian fans.
“There were, I would say, a lot of conversations with the tournament director, with the media and everyone else.
“Of course it affected me too. I was not aware of it until last night. Of course I wasn’t happy about that.
“My father, my whole family and myself went through several wars in the 90s.
“As my father said in a statement, we are against war, we will never support violence or war. We know how devastating that is for the family, for people in any country going through the war.”
The Serbian ace stressed that his father was busy fulfilling his post-match routine to thank Djokovic fans for their support.
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic has advanced to the Australian Open final after beating Tommy Paul on Friday night.
“I heard what he said in the video. He said, “cheers.” Unfortunately, some media have interpreted that in a very wrong way,” Djokovic said.
“I’m sorry that has escalated like that.
“But I hope people understand that there was absolutely no intention to support war initiatives or anything like that.
“My father was passing through. There were many Serbian flags around. That’s what he thought. He thought he was taking a picture with someone from Serbia. That is it. He continued.
“Obviously it is not pleasant for me to go through this with all the things I had to deal with last year and this year in Australia. It’s not something I want or need. I hope people leave it at that and we can focus on tennis.”
Djokovic was annoyed when he was called out about his father’s actions.
“It wasn’t meant to be…he was being abused in this situation by this group of people,” he said.
“I can’t be angry or upset with him because I can say it wasn’t his fault. He went out to celebrate with my fans.
Dita Alangkara/AP
Novak Djokovic is unsure whether his father, pictured during his quarter-final, will be in the stands for his final on Sunday night.
“After that he felt bad and he knew how that would reflect on me, the whole media pressure and everything that’s happened in the last 24, 48 hours.”
Djokovic was unsure if his father would be sidelined for the final against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday.
“Let’s see,” Djokovic said.
“I hope to have him. I hope he feels good to be in court because I would love to have him there for the final.