New controversy for Novak Djokovic in Australia. Srdjan Djokovic, his father, is at the heart of a controversy. Faced with the scale of the dispute, he announced this Friday, January 27 that he was giving up going to the stadium to attend the semi-final of his son Novak, so as not to stir up tensions.
“In 2010, he decided to become perfect”: Novak Djokovic, a champion with conflicting passions
“I am only here to support my son. I had no intention of making headlines or causing any disturbances (…). So that there are no disruptions during the semi-final for my son or his opponent, I chose to watch the match from home.wrote Srdjan Djokovic in a press release of which AFP obtained a copy. “I want it to be a great game and I will support my son, as always”he concludes.
In his press release, Srdjan Djokovic explains his vision of the incident. “I was outside with the Novak fans like I did after all of my son’s matches to celebrate his wins and take pictures with them. I had no intention of being dragged into this turmoil”he says.
Flags an authorized time
Novak Djokovic’s father was filmed outside the stadium on Thursday with a man holding a Russian flag with President Vladimir Putin’s face on it, according to a video posted on a pro-Russian Australian YouTube account.
This video provoked a strong reaction from the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia who demanded that Srdjan Djokovic be withdrawn from his accreditation for the tournament. He also claimed “apologies” from the player himself, yet involved neither near nor far.
In Ukraine, the cold war is raging
“Throughout the tournament, we spoke with the players and their teams about the importance of not engaging in activities that could cause disruption”underlined for its part the Australian Federation (TA), taking note of the communiqué of “Srdjan Djokovic in which he confirms that he will not attend the semi-final tonight”.
“We reiterate the ban on the flags of Belarus and Russia”adds the press release from TA.
Initially allowed in the grounds of Melbourne Park, where the Australian Open is played, the Russian and Belarusian flags were banned at the request of the Ukrainian embassy in Canberra, after some had been deployed in the stands .
