"I can't be angry with him or upset, it was not his fault" - Novak Djokovic addresses his father Srdjan's controversial Australian Open incident
Novak Djokovic has finally weighed in on the controversy surrounding his father Srdjan, saying that his father was not at fault and that the media blew the incident out of proportion.
On Wednesday, January 25, Djokovic defeated Russia's Andrey Rublev in the quarterfinals at the Rod Laver Arena. The next day, a video surfaced online in which the Serb's father Srdjan was seen posing for a photograph with a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The fan was holding a Russian flag with Putin's face on it, as well as wearing a t-shirt with the “Z” symbol, which is a pro-war Russian symbol. According to initial reports, Srdjan was also heard saying "long live Russians."
In a press conference after winning his semifinal match at the 2023 Australian Open, Djokovic defended his father. He stated that his family knew what it felt like to be in a war zone and that they were against it.
"My father, my whole family, and myself have been through several wars during the '90s," he said. "As my father put in a statement, we are against war, we never will support any violence or any war. We know how devastating that is for the family and for people in any country that is going through war."
The 35-year-old added that it was routine for his father to meet and greet fans and thank them for their support after his matches in Melbourne. Djokovic stated that his father didn't realize which flag that particular fan was holding, and that contrary to some media reports, Srdjan said "Cheers" instead of “long live Russian citizens."
"My father has been going after every single match to meet with my fans at the main square here in Australian Open, to thank them for the support, to be with them, pay them respect, and make photos. The photo that he made, 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."
The 21-time Major winner stood by his father and requested that fans focus on tennis again.
"He was misused in this situation by this group of people. 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. There was a lot of Serbian flags around. He thought he was making photo with somebody from Serbia. I hope that people will let it be, and we can focus on tennis," he added.
"I would like to have him there for the finals" - Novak Djokovic on his father
Novak Djokovic will take on Stefanos Tsitspas in the 2023 Australian Open final on Sunday, and he expressed hope that his father Srdjan would be in attendance. After the recent controversy, Srdjan decided not to be present in the stadium for the semifinals on Friday.
"Let's see. Of course, it wasn't, again, pleasant not to have him in the box. It's a decision that we made together," Djokovic said. "Just didn't know how things will play out, I guess. I hope to have him. I hope he's going to be feeling okay to be on the courts because I would like to have him there for the finals."