Djokovic Criticizes Media Following Controversy Involving His Father and a Russian Flag
Novak Djokovic claims that his father's statements were mistranslated in a video where he was seen with Russian supporters during the Australian Open. Read Full Article at RT.com.
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Srdjan Djokovic chose not to attend his son’s Australian Open semifinal victory on Friday.
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has defended his father, Srdjan, after he was captured on video with Russian supporters following a match involving his son at the Australian Open earlier this week.
The footage circulated online soon after Djokovic's match against Russia's Andrey Rublev on Wednesday. It shows Srdjan Djokovic standing next to a man waving a Russian tricolor flag and wearing a ‘Z’ symbol on his shirt, which is often associated with Russian military operations in Ukraine.
Subtitles in the video suggested that Srdjan Djokovic made a pro-Russian statement during the clip. Earlier in the tournament, Tennis Australia had enforced a ban on displaying the Russian flag.
However, Srdjan Djokovic later clarified that he had unexpectedly found himself in a pro-Russia demonstration while celebrating and taking pictures with his son's supporters in Melbourne. He stated he would refrain from attending Djokovic's semifinal match against American Tommy Paul, which occurred earlier on Friday.
The controversy surrounding the Australian Open intensified when nine-time champion Novak Djokovic’s father was seen with pro-war demonstrators. A phrase spoken by Djokovic Sr. in the clip was translated as expressing support for Russia’s military involvement in Ukraine. Nonetheless, Serbian media later explained that his words were a standard way of saying goodbye.
After his victory over Paul, which advances Novak Djokovic to his tenth Australian Open final, the Serb acknowledged that the incident involving his father had impacted him during the match.
“It was unfortunate that the misinterpretation of what happened has escalated to such a high level. There was a lot of conversations with the tournament director, with media and everyone else,” Djokovic remarked in his post-match press conference.
“It has got to me, of course, as well. I was not aware of it until last night. Then, of course, I was not pleased to see that.”
Djokovic jumped to an early lead against Paul but appeared to lose momentum late in the first set, allowing his opponent a chance to come back into the match.
He ultimately regrouped, securing the win in a straightforward three-set victory.
Having navigated the potential pitfalls of the semifinal, Djokovic directed his focus toward the Russian supporters whom he claimed had “misused” his father, as well as the media for misinterpreting his father’s remarks.
“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 has interpreted that in a really wrong way,” he said.
“There was a lot of Serbian flags around. That’s what he thought. He thought he was making a photo with somebody from Serbia.
“He was misused in this situation by this group of people,” he continued. “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.”
Djokovic also expressed uncertainty about whether his father would attend the final on Sunday, where he will compete against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in pursuit of a tenth Australian Open title, aiming for a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam win and a 28th consecutive victory at the Melbourne event.
Ian Smith for TROIB News
Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has defended his father, Srdjan, after he was captured on video with Russian supporters following a match involving his son at the Australian Open earlier this week.
The footage circulated online soon after Djokovic's match against Russia's Andrey Rublev on Wednesday. It shows Srdjan Djokovic standing next to a man waving a Russian tricolor flag and wearing a ‘Z’ symbol on his shirt, which is often associated with Russian military operations in Ukraine.
Subtitles in the video suggested that Srdjan Djokovic made a pro-Russian statement during the clip. Earlier in the tournament, Tennis Australia had enforced a ban on displaying the Russian flag.
However, Srdjan Djokovic later clarified that he had unexpectedly found himself in a pro-Russia demonstration while celebrating and taking pictures with his son's supporters in Melbourne. He stated he would refrain from attending Djokovic's semifinal match against American Tommy Paul, which occurred earlier on Friday.
The controversy surrounding the Australian Open intensified when nine-time champion Novak Djokovic’s father was seen with pro-war demonstrators. A phrase spoken by Djokovic Sr. in the clip was translated as expressing support for Russia’s military involvement in Ukraine. Nonetheless, Serbian media later explained that his words were a standard way of saying goodbye.
After his victory over Paul, which advances Novak Djokovic to his tenth Australian Open final, the Serb acknowledged that the incident involving his father had impacted him during the match.
“It was unfortunate that the misinterpretation of what happened has escalated to such a high level. There was a lot of conversations with the tournament director, with media and everyone else,” Djokovic remarked in his post-match press conference.
“It has got to me, of course, as well. I was not aware of it until last night. Then, of course, I was not pleased to see that.”
Djokovic jumped to an early lead against Paul but appeared to lose momentum late in the first set, allowing his opponent a chance to come back into the match.
He ultimately regrouped, securing the win in a straightforward three-set victory.
Having navigated the potential pitfalls of the semifinal, Djokovic directed his focus toward the Russian supporters whom he claimed had “misused” his father, as well as the media for misinterpreting his father’s remarks.
“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 has interpreted that in a really wrong way,” he said.
“There was a lot of Serbian flags around. That’s what he thought. He thought he was making a photo with somebody from Serbia.
“He was misused in this situation by this group of people,” he continued. “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.”
Djokovic also expressed uncertainty about whether his father would attend the final on Sunday, where he will compete against Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in pursuit of a tenth Australian Open title, aiming for a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam win and a 28th consecutive victory at the Melbourne event.
Ian Smith for TROIB News
