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Novak Djokovic has admitted he was “hurt” by the absence of his father at the Australian Open final on Sunday night.
The Serbian superstar and his team decided that it would be best for Srdjan Djokovic to not be courtside at Rod Laver Arena following a controversy over a Russian flag which threatened to overshadow Djokovic’s campaign for a 10th Australian Open title.
Srdjan Djokovic was therefore watching from outside the stadium as his son defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets 6-3 7-6 7-6.
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A seat next to Djokovic’s mother, usually occupied by Srdjan, was empty as Djokovic won a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title.
“We both agreed that it would probably be better that he’s not there,” Djokovic said after winning a 10th Australian Open title.
“That hurts him and me a lot because these are special, unique moments that who knows if they are repeated again.
“It was not easy for him. I saw him after the match and he was not feeling his best, let’s say.
“He was happy to hug me, but I could see he was a bit sad.”
“In the end we have a happy ending,” the 35-year-old Djokovic added.
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Djokovic said his dad told him he didn’t want to be a distraction in the Australian Open final, despite being cleared by tournament director Craig Tiley to take his seat in the stands.
“I think in the end also what he told me is that it’s important that I feel good on the court, I win the match, and he’s here for me,” Djokovic said.
“If it’s going to be better for me as the outcome of the match so that he’s not in the box, then so be it.
“That was the whole conversation. In a way I’m also sad that he was not there, present, in the stands. But he was throughout the entire tournament, so it’s fine.”
Srdjan also decided to miss the semi-finals after he faced calls, led by Ukraine, to be banned from the Grand Slam at Melbourne Park.
A video posted to a pro-Russian YouTube account on Thursday showed him posing with a man holding a Russian flag with President Vladimir Putin’s face on it.
The video was captioned: “Novak Djokovic’s father makes bold political statement.”
Djokovic subsequently defended his father, saying there had been a “misinterpretation” of the images and no harm was meant.
“It was unfortunate that the misinterpretation of what happened yesterday has escalated to such a high level,” he said.
“As my father put in a statement – we’re against the war – we will never support any violence or any war.
“We know how devastating that is for the family, for the people, in any family that is going through the war.
“He was passing through and make a photo. It’s not his fault he went out to celebrate with my fans.
“I heard what he said in the video: he said, ‘cheers’.
“He was misused.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, had called for Srdjan Djokovic to be stripped of his stadium pass.
– With AFP
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