​Srdjan Djokovic sparked a frenzy in Melbourne after posing for a photo with several Russian fans holding a Vladimir Putin flag. After qualifying for the finals of the Australian Open, Novak explained the whole episode by defending his father.

Srdjan DjokovicPhoto: Nikola Krstich / Editors Shutterstock / Profimedia

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Novak Djokovic says his father didn’t know Russian fans were posing with him

After being photographed next to Russian fans waving Vladimir Putin’s flag, Novak’s father decided not to attend the semi-final between his son and Tommy Paul.

He preferred to watch the match on TV so as not to inflame the mood even more.

At the press conference after the victory with the American Paul, Novak Djokovic offered an explanation of the incident, which happened because of his father’s fault.

“He was passing by (no, Srdjan is his father), he was photographed, and the situation escalated. In this situation, this group of people abused him. I can’t be mad at him because I can say it’s not his fault. He came to enjoy my fans.

Then he felt sick and knew that what had happened in the last 24-48 hours would affect me” – Novak Djokoviccites Reuters, reports News.ro.

“Dad, my whole family and I went through several wars in the 90s. We are against war, we will never support violence or any war. We know how devastating it is for a family, for the people of any country going through war.

Dad was passing by. There were many flags of Serbia. So he thought. He thought he was taking a photo with someone from Serbia. That’s all. He went further.

It was unpleasant not to have him around (not even in the semi-finals). Hopefully he’ll be there (not in Sunday’s grand final with Stefanos Tsitsipas),” concluded Novak Djokovic.

Know:

  • Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas have met 12 times on the world stage so far with a score of 10-2 in favor of the Serb. The final of the Australian Open will take place on Sunday from 10:00 (LiveBlog on HotNews.ro and live broadcast on Eurosport).
  • By the way, the last victory of the Greek dates back to 2019, with the Shanghai Masters, and Novak won in the last 9 direct meetings.
  • Stefanos’ most painful loss to Novak came in the 2021 Roland Garros final (the Greek’s first Grand Slam), when Tsitsipas led 2-0 in sets before succumbing in dramatic fashion.
  • The stakes of the Australian Open final are twofold: in addition to the Grand Slam title, the winner will become the world leader from next week.
  • If it would be a habit for Nole to return to the leader’s chair (he would accumulate the 374th week in the first position of the ATP), then for Stefanos it would be the first time.
  • For Djokovic, this will be the 10th final in Melbourne, all others have been won by the Serb.
  • If he wins in the final action on Sunday, Nole will match record holder Rafael Nadal for the most Grand Slam titles won at 22 each.