Serjan Djokovic, father of Australian Open semi-finalist Novak Djokovic, has responded after being warned about his behavior by Tennis Australia. The elder Djokovic was caught in pictures with pro-Russian spectators after Wednesday’s match at Rod Laver Arena.
Four spectators were interviewed by Victoria Police After they put up Russian flags with Vladimir Putin’s face on them, and some were seen wearing T-shirts with the pro-war “Z” symbol on them. Tennis Australia previously announced that Russia’s flags – past and present – have been completely banned from Melbourne Park courts.
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Serbian superstar Djokovic defeated Russian Rublev in the quarter-finals on Wednesday night. Djokovic’s father was later seen mingling with the pro-Russian supporters, who were heard chanting “Serbia, Russia”.
Srdjan posed for photos with pro-Russians, some of whom wore the “Z” symbol. He spoke briefly to the camera in Serbian before leaving.
on Friday, The telegraph It was reported that Tennis Australia had warned Djokovic about his father’s actions. The governing body reportedly warned Djokovic and his family against promoting any more political causes.
Later that afternoon, Serjan Djokovic posted a statement saying that it was not his intention to get involved in such a controversy. He added that he and his family understood the unnecessary consequences of war.
“I am only here to support my son. I had no intention of causing such headlines or disruption,” the statement read. “I was out with Novak’s fans like I do after all my son’s matches to celebrate his victories and take pictures with them. I had no intention of getting caught up in this.
My family has experienced the horror of war, and we only wish for peace. So there’s no interruption to tonight’s semi-final for my son or another player, I’ve chosen to watch from home. I hope for a great game and I will support my son, as always.”
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia called for Serjan to be banned from Friday night’s semi-final match between Djokovic and Tommy Paul, as well as Sunday’s final should Djokovic qualify. Vasyl Miroshenko said Tennis Australia should ban Crdjan “for such a disgrace”, while also demanding an apology from Djokovic.
He said Herald Sun: “It’s up to Tennis Australia to take action. I think it would be very good not to let him in. I don’t know why he would say something like that considering what the Russians are doing in Ukraine, how many people they’ve killed, tortured, raped and all the summary executions that are occurred against civilians.”
Miroshenko added, “The entire Australian Open from the very beginning was controversial, about the participation of Russian players, then flags, and now we have seen this provocation. It was exacerbated by comments made by Djokovic’s father. Djokovic is a star and he is the number one celebrity in the world of tennis, so from Very disappointing to see his father supporting Russia.”
After the controversial video of Djokovic’s father was posted on social media, Tennis Australia issued a statement asking players to avoid any “potentially disruptive” situations. The statement said: “A small group displayed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards following Wednesday night’s game and have been evacuated. A sponsor is now assisting the police with unrelated matters.
“Players and their teams have been informed and reminded of the event’s policy regarding flags and symbols and to avoid any situation that could disrupt it. We continue to work closely with event security and law enforcement agencies.”
“Disgusting” scenes at the Australian Open for the former star
Retired Ukrainian player Aleksandr Dolgopolov, who is now serving in his country’s army, called the pro-Russian fans at the Australian Open tennis tournament “disgusting”. He wrote on Twitter: “This guy is going to be banned for life, at least from all Australian events, right? Looks like he wasn’t the only one. Tennis Australia, what’s going on there?”
Initially, Tennis Australia allowed Russian flags to play in the Australian Open as long as they were not in the habit of being “disrupted”. However, they later banned them outright after complaints from Myroshnychenko and several others.
Players from Russia and Belarus have been banned from playing at Wimbledon in 2022 because of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The ATP and WTA tours opposed the move and the Grand Slams were stripped of their ranking points as a result.
Russian and Belarusian players are allowed to compete in the Australian Open, but they have been doing so as “neutral” athletes. Belarusian star Arina Sabalenka will play in the women’s final on Saturday night, while compatriot Victoria Azarenka reached the semifinals Before losing to Elena Rybkina. Russia’s Karen Khachanov will play Stefanos Tsistipas in the men’s semi-finals on Friday night.
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