Novak Djokovic’s father Srdjian said he would not attend the Australian Open semi-final on Friday night after he was seen posing for photos with supporters of Vladimir Putin.
In an emailed statement on Friday, Djokovic senior said he had “chosen to watch from home” so there would be no disruption to Friday night’s semi-final for his son or for the other player.
He said he was there to only support his son and had no intention of causing “headlines or disruption.”
“My family has lived through the horror of war, and we wish only for peace,” the father said.
“I wish for a great match and I will be cheering for my son, as always.”
Djokovic senior was seen in footage with a spectator wearing a “Z” symbol shirt while holding a Russian flag with a picture of Putin’s face.
The spectator said, “Brother Alexander Zaldostanov, we sent you our greetings from Melbourne Australia to our brothers in Moscow.”
The incident comes not long after Tennis Australia banned spectators from carrying and displaying Russian and Belarusian flags at Melbourne Park on the second day of the tournament.
Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko called on Tennis Australia to ban Srdjan Djokovic for the incident calling it a “disgrace.”
“I think it would be a very good idea 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 have killed, tortured, raped and all the summary executions that have happened against civilians.'’
Myroshnychenko added, “This whole Australian Open tournament since the beginning was a controversy, around the participation of the Russian players, then the flags, now we’ve seen this provocation.
“It was further aggravated by the comments Djokovic’s dad has made. Djokovic is a superstar and he’s the number one celebrity in the tennis world, so it’s very disappointing to see his father supporting Russia.”
Novak Djokovic plays American Tommy Paul on Friday night for a berth in a record 10th final at Melbourne Park.
Tennis Australia issued their own statement condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and confirming Djokovic senior would not appear at the Australian Open semi-finals.
“After the events of Wednesday night, we acted swiftly to work with police and our security teams to have the instigators of the protest removed from the venue,” the statement read.
“Throughout the event we’ve spoken with players and their teams about the importance of not engaging in any activity that causes distress or disruption.
The organisation said Srdjan Djokovic had issued a statement saying he would not be present.
“We will continue to strive for the safety of fans at the event and reiterate our position banning flags from Belarus and Russia.
“Tennis Australia stands with the call for peace and an end to war and violent conflict in Ukraine.”
