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Novak Djokovic’s father is NOT at Melbourne Park to support his son in the Australian Open semi-final after a video surfaced showing his support for Russia
Novak Djokovic’s father withdrew from attending tonight’s Australian Open semifinal in the wake of his controversial interaction with Vladimir Putin supporters on Wednesday.
Srdjan Djokovic issued a statement saying he would stay away from Melbourne Park, where his son is the heavy favorite to defeat American Tommy Paul in the second match of the last four.
Amid noisy scenes after the quarterfinal, Djokovic Sr. was caught on video fraternizing with fringe elements of the audience, alongside a man in a ‘Z’ shirt. [denoting support for Russian armed forces] and behind a flag with Putin’s face on it.
The parents of Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, father Srdjan and mother Dijana react during his post-match speech following his win over Russia’s Andrey Rublev.
However, he maintained that he simply wanted to thank Novak’s fans for their unwavering support.
‘I am here to support my son only. I had no intention of causing such headlines or disruptions,” he said.
“I was outside with the Novak fans like I have after all my son’s games to celebrate their wins and take pictures with them. He had no intention of getting caught up in this.
My family has lived through the horror of war and we only want peace.
Djokovic will reach his Australian Open semifinal against American Tommy Paul without his father in the stands
“So there’s no interruption in tonight’s semi-final for my son or the other player I’ve chosen to watch from home.” I wish a great game and I will be cheering for my son, as always.
The original incident was captured in a video posted by a pro-Russian activist, showing Australian Open rules being challenged with visual and audible displays of support for Russia.
Subsequently, Tennis Australia issued a warning to players and their associates that they should not engage in behavior that fuels controversy.
They added to the statement, saying: ‘Following the events on Wednesday night, we moved quickly to work with the police and our security teams to remove the instigators of the protest from the venue.
“Throughout the event, we have spoken with players and their teams about the importance of not engaging in any activity that causes distress or disruption.
Srdjan Djokovic has issued a statement confirming that he will not attend tonight’s semi-final. We will continue to strive for the safety of fans at the event and reiterate our position to ban the flags of Belarus and Russia.
“Tennis Australia supports the call for peace and an end to war and violent conflict in Ukraine.”
A spokesman for Novak Djokovic said he would not comment on the incident.