Nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic says the Russian war controversy his father inadvertently became embroiled in was a “misinterpretation” that “escalated” out of control.
Djokovic’s father Srdjan was unwittingly recorded on Wednesday night while posing for photographs with pro-Vladimir Putin activists outside Rod Laver Arena after his son’s quarter-final win over Russian player Andrey Rublev.
In the video, Srdjan appears alongside spectators who are carrying Russian flags and chanting messages of support for Putin. It was reported that he allegedly said: “long live the Russians”, igniting a firestorm of international media coverage. However, Serbian journalists and now Djokovic himself have since said the translation was wrong.
Russian flags and other items bearing Russian or Belarusian insignia are banned at Melbourne Park following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The invasion has gone on for almost 12 months and thousands of civilians have been killed, according to the United Nations.
Speaking for the first time on the issue, Djokovic said the activists, some of whom held flags depicting Putin, had “misused” his father and that there was “no intention” to be associated with their demonstration.
Novak Djokovic will play in the Australian Open men’s final.Credit:Eddie Jim
“It was unfortunate that the misinterpretation of what happened has escalated to such a high level,” Djokovic said.
“There was, I would say, a lot of conversations with tournament director [Craig Tiley], with media and everyone else. It has got to me, of course, as well. I was not aware of it until [Thursday] night. Then, of course, I was not pleased to see that.
“My father, my whole family and myself have been through several wars during the ’90s. As my father put in a statement [on Friday], we are against the war; we never will support any violence or any war.
“We know how devastating that is for the family; for people in any country that are going through the war.”
Djokovic said Srdjan, who agreed by mutual decision to stay away from Friday night’s semi-final but looks likely to return for the final, had the same post-match routine of meeting with and thanking fans for their support.
“The photo that he made [with the activists]; he was passing through. I heard what he said in the video. He said, ‘Cheers’. Unfortunately, some of the media have interpreted that in a really wrong way.
“I’m sorry that that has escalated so much, but I hope people understand that there was absolutely no intention whatsoever to support any kind of war initiatives or anything like that.
“There were a lot of Serbian flags around. That’s what he thought. He thought he was making photos with somebody from Serbia. That’s it. He moved on.
“Of course, it’s not pleasant for me to go through this with all the things that I had to deal with last year [with his deportation over his vaccination status], and this year in Australia.
“It’s not something that I want or need. I hope that people will let it be, and we can focus on tennis.”
Djokovic also made it clear he did not blame his father for the situation he found himself in, or the subsequent worldwide coverage ahead of his semi-final clash.
“It can happen to many people, what happened to him,” he said. “He was passing through, made a photo, it has escalated. He was misused in this situation by this group of people. That’s what happened.
“I can’t be angry with him or upset because I can say it was not his fault. He went out to celebrate with my fans, and that’s it.
“After that, of course, he felt bad because of me, and he knew how that’s going to reflect on me [with] the whole media pressure and everything that has happened in the last 24, 48 hours. But it is what it is. You accept it and you move on.”
Djokovic was hopeful Srdjan would join his mother Dijana and the rest of his team in his player box for the final.
“Let’s see. It wasn’t pleasant not to have him in the box. It’s a decision that we made together,” he said.
“I hope to have him. I hope he’s going to be feeling OK to be in the courts because I would like to have him there for the finals.”
Djokovic will try to win a record-extending 10th Australian Open title and return to the world No.1 ranking when he faces Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday night’s men’s singles final.
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