Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic broke his silence on the controversy engulfing his father, who was spotted next to demonstrators praising Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week.
Djokovic chalked the firestorm up to a “misinterpretation” of what happened and contended that his father loves to thank his fans for their support, but unintentionally wound up pictured next to the pro-Putin demonstrators. He further explained that both he and his father are opposed to violence and war.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC’S FATHER SPOTTED WITH PRO-PUTIN FLAG IN FOOTAGE NEAR AUSTRALIAN OPEN
“We never support any violence or any war. We know how devastating that is for family, for people in any country that is going through the war,” Djokovic told reporters. “My father, as he said in the statement, has been going after every single match to meet with my fans at the main square here in [the] Australia Open to thank them for the support, to be with them, pay them respect, and make photos.”
At one point, his father, Srdjan Djokovic, was translated as saying “cheers,” but his son contended that was interpreted the wrong way and that there “was absolutely no intention whatsoever to support any kind of war.” Srdjan Djokovic was seen mingling with the demonstrators in a YouTube video.
One of the men had a Russian flag emblazoned with Putin’s face and a pro-war “Z” symbol, which has been seen on Russian military hardware and is considered a sign of support for the war in Ukraine.
Russian flags have been banned at the Australian Open by Tennis Australia. Many of the protesters were opposing that ban. Srdjan Djokovic later broke his silence amid growing backlash and argued that he “had no intention of being caught up in this.”
“My family has lived through the horror of war, and we wish only for peace,” he said in a statement per the Washington Post. He added that he would not attend his son’s semifinal match in which Novak Djokovic bested U.S. player Tommy Paul to avoid causing a “disruption.”
Serbia had a bitter war with Kosovo in the 1990s that ultimately led to intervention by NATO.
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Novak Djokovic was subject to international controversy last year when he was detained and ultimately booted from Australia for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine. This denied him the opportunity to defend his Australian Open title.
The Australian Open is one of four Grand Slam events alongside the U.S. Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon. Novak Djokovic has won nine Australian Open titles and 21 Grand Slam men’s singles titles.
