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Novak Djokovic says his father was “misused by this group of people” after Djokovic Sr was absent from his son’s semi-final victory in the Australian Open last night.
Djokovic has admitted that the scrutiny around his father, Srdjan Djokovic, at the Australian Open affected him in the build up to his semi-final victory over Tommy Paul last night.
Djokovic Sr had been filmed after Djokovic’s quarter-final taking a photograph with a spectator who wore a “Z” symbol T-shirt and held a Russian flag containing a photo of Vladimir Putin’s face. “It has got to me, of course,” said Djokovic. “I was not aware of it till last night. Then, of course, I was not pleased to see that.”
Robert Horvath, a specialist in Russian politics at La Trobe University, said the Putin supporters who posed with Djokovic’s father were determined to “create the impression of a groundswell of overseas support for the Putin regime and its war in Ukraine”.
“Novak’s father’s actions have been misrepresented on some pro-Kremlin Russian nationalist platforms such as Tsargrad TV, which claims that he addressed Zaldostanov and declared ‘long live Russians’,” Horvath said.
“Some coverage has taken the line that the western media is vilifying Novak’s father.”
Meanwhile, a Djokovic fan who wore a black T-shirt with the “Z” symbol at the Australian Open earlier this week – a sign of support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – was allowed to return to watch the semi-final on Friday night.
Ukrainian player Alex Dolgopolov has previously called for the Djokovic fan to be permanently banned from the grand slam, tweeting: “this guy will get banned for life, at least for all Australian events, right?”.
Australian Open officials escorted the man away from his front-row seats towards the end of Djokovic’s last set against American Tommy Paul, but, after a brief discussion, he was allowed to return to his seats.
Related: Australian Open spectators supporting Russian invasion questioned by police
Tennis Australia was contacted for comment. Earlier this week, a spokesperson urged players and their teams to avoid situations that “have the potential to disrupt” the Australian Open. Russian flags and symbols have been banned at the tournament.
The Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations co-chair, Stefan Romaniw, said Tennis Australia needed to be vigilant about enforcing its rules.
“There will always be those who will constantly test the system. Tennis Australia must be diligent and remove anyone who is not abiding by the rules,” Romaniw said.
Police officers and security kept watch of celebrations outside Rod Laver on Friday night, where Novak Djokovic’s father had posed with Putin supporting Russian flags earlier in the week. One of those supporters was wearing a similar shirt with the “Z” logo.