Novak Djokovic’s father will not be on the court for his son’s Australian Open semi-final match against Tommy Poole on Friday night in a fallout from pro-Putin protesters earlier in the week.
The tournament turned into a scandal after police detained four men outside Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday night following Djokovic’s quarter-final victory over Russia’s Andrey Rublev.
Spectators inside Melbourne Park She is seen with pro-war banners and flags bearing Putin’s face They chant outside the stadium.
A video posted to YouTube appears to show Djokovic’s father, Crdjan, with a group of men who are also seen waving Russian flags that have been banned from the Australian Open.
news agency news.co.uk We first reported on the video which appeared to show Srdjan telling a protester “Long live the Russians” in loose translation.
These translations were corrected by Serbian journalist @ozmo_sasa who noted that Srdjan said “Živeli, ljudi”, meaning “cheer up guys”.
In a video posted on the YouTube channel Cossack Australianthe father of the nine-time Australian Open champion, was seen next to a man who was wearing a T-shirt prominently displaying the pro-war “Z” symbol.
The video also shows that the group of Russian activists managed to organize their demonstration for a long time before the security intervention.
The Australian Tennis Agency confirmed earlier that the police detained four spectators and they were questioned.
A statement from Victoria Police confirmed that the four men had been removed from the incident.
But instead of pretending nothing happened, Srdjan will sit down with his sons in the semi-finals, issuing a statement on Friday.
“I am only here to support my son,” the statement read. “I had no intention of causing such headlines or disruption.
“I was out with Novak’s fans like I do after all my son’s matches to celebrate his victories and take pictures with them. I had no intention of getting caught up in this.
My family has experienced the horror of war, and we only wish for peace.
“So there is no interruption to tonight’s semi-final for my son or another player, I have chosen to watch from home.
“I hope for a great game and I will support my son, as always.”
The statement also said Novak did not wish to make any comments.
The photos prompted a lot of backlash, including from Nine commentator Sam Smith who said Novak would “ruin” the photos.
Former Australian tennis star turned Victorian MP Sam Groth tweeted: “Incitement has no place in our state and no place at our major events.
“The Australian Open should be a welcoming, safe and inclusive event for all, not an opportunity to express a malicious and offensive agenda or deliberately intimidate others.
“Melbourne and Victoria are on the world stage and our reputation as capital for major events is on the line. It is not good enough for a state government to sidestep responsibility and pass the responsibility on to others.
“The state government and event organizers must today explain the actions they are taking to end these unacceptable behaviours.”
Former Ukrainian tennis star Aleksandr Dolgopolov called on fans, including Djokovic’s father, to ban him over the drama.
“Very disgusting. They said politics should be kept out of sports. These people have absolutely no business participating in tennis tournaments, including @DjokerNole’s father, if they openly praise the genocidal regime,”
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