Djokovic’s father to skip Australian Open semis after Russian flag fallout

THE father of Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic will not be attending his son’s semi-final game at the Australian Open on Friday (Jan 27).

Srdjan Djokovic was filmed with a group of pro-Russia fans following his son’s quarter-final victory on Wednesday, with fans holding up Russian flags and wearing shirts with the pro-war “Z” emblem. Footage posted on social media also showed the fans chanting slogans praising Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

The senior Djokovic said he would watch the semi-final match from home on Friday night, to ensure “no disruption”. He also denied that he had intentionally joined the group, adding that he had merely been celebrating his son’s win and taking photos with fans.

“I am here to support my son only,” he said. “My family has lived through the horror of war, and we wish only for peace.”

Australian Open organisers faced pressure to take action, with criticism from figures including former Ukrainian tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov, who is now fighting in the war, and Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko.

Although it stopped short of issuing a ban to the player’s father, event organiser Tennis Australia on Friday reiterated its position of banning flags from Belarus and Russia, adding that it had “swiftly” removed protest instigators from the venue. It also said that it had told players and their teams throughout the event to avoid activities that could cause “distress or disruption”. BLOOMBERG