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Novak Djokovic’s dad Srdjan made the call not to be in his son’s player’s box in the Australian Open final after he caused controversy by posing with pro-war protesters at Melbourne Park.
Srdjan had seemingly unwittingly taken photos with the protesters after his son’s quarterfinal win over Andrey Rublev.
Newsagency inews.co.uk first reported the video which appears to show Srdjan telling one of the demonstrators “Long live the Russians” in a loose translation.
Those translations were corrected by Serbian journalist @ozmo_sasa who noted that Srdjan said “Živeli, ljudi”, meaning “cheers, guys”.
He released a statement before Novak’s semi-final against Tommy Paul.
“I am here to support my son only,” the statement read. “I had no intention of causing such headlines or disruption.
“I was outside with Novak’s fans as I have done after all of my son’s matches to celebrate his wins and take pictures with them. I had no intention of being caught up in this.
“My family has lived through the horror of war, and we wish only for peace.
“So there is no disruption to tonight’s semi-final for my son or for the other player, I have chosen to watch from home.”
But despite Tennis Australia clearing the way for him to sit in the box for his son’s shot at a 10th Australian Open title and 22nd grand slam victory, Srdjan was not in the players’ box.
Earlier on Sunday, Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley said it was Djokovic Sr.’s call.
“It’s his decision. We’re going to let it be his decision and ultimately he’s got to make the call,” Tiley said.
“He didn’t breach any event policy. That’s really important because what’s been written about what he (allegedly) said hasn’t been correct and I think people are backtracking from that.”
Djokovic was furious over his father not being at the Australian Open semi-final,
“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.”
Spectators inside Melbourne Park were seen with pro-war signs and flags featuring the face of Putin as they chanted outside the stadium.
A video posted on YouTube now appears to show Djokovic’s dad, Srdjan, posing with a group of men who were also seen waving the Russian flags which have been banned from the Australian Open.
In a video posted on the YouTube channel Aussie Cossack, the father of the nine-time Australian Open champion was seen alongside a man who was wearing a T-shirt that prominently featured the pro-war ‘Z’ symbol.
Since March 2022, the ‘Z’ symbol has been used as piece of pro-war propaganda.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia called for the tennis champion to denounce his father’s support and requested an urgent meeting with Tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton called the incident “bizarre”.
“The Russian onslaught continues, and frankly everybody of goodwill should be trying to deter, not encourage, President Putin. So, it’s bizarre act,” he told Nine.
“It‘s an issue for Tennis Australia as to how they react.”
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