Novak Djokovic’s father Srijan did not attend his son’s victory in the Australian Open semi-finals on Friday. Sergeant Djokovic was seen posing with spectators who brought banned Russian flags to Melbourne Park earlier in the week.
according to the associated press, Serjan Djokovic released a statement saying that he would not be in attendance, “so there is no disruption.” In the men’s singles final played on Sunday, Novak Djokovic defeated Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 to enter the final.
After the semifinal victory, Novak Djokovic came to his father’s defense, saying that he had “no intention of supporting any kind of war initiative or anything like that” and that he was sorry that the situation “had escalated to such an extent”. Went.” He also said he was not sure whether his father would be present at Sunday’s final.
“Throughout the event, we have spoken with players and their teams about the importance of not engaging in any activity that may be involved,” Tennis Australia said in a statement following the situation involving surgeon Djokovic. “We will continue to strive to protect fans at events and reiterate our position on banning the flags of Belarus and Russia. Tennis Australia stands with the call for peace and an end to the war and violent conflict in Ukraine.”
During Djokovic’s quarterfinal match against Russia’s Andrey Rublev, Djokovic can be seen standing with a group waving Russian flags outside the main stadium. One of them was showing a photo of Vladimir Putin.
According to police, four men were thrown out of the Grand Slam tournament for bringing the Russian flag and threatening security guards.
This comes after Tennis Australia changed its policy on allowing spectators to display flags of different countries at Melbourne Park. On 17 January, Tennis Australia Announced that fans are not allowed to bring Russian and Belarusian flags In the wake of Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Last year, Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from competing entirely in events such as the men’s World Cup, Wimbledon, the Billie Jean King Cup and the Davis Cup as a result of the war in Ukraine. Russian and Belarusian players were permitted to participate in the Australian Open, French Open and US Open, but must do so as “neutral athletes”.
