“It hurts him and me.” This is how Novak Djokovic reacted to his father’s absence this Sunday in the game that dictated his victory at the Australian Open. After controversy for posing with fans waving a Russian flag, Srdjan Djokovic did not watch his son’s final against Stefanos Tsitsipas live at the Rod Laver Arena, where he won his 22nd Grand Slam singles title.
The seat next to Djokovic’s mother, usually occupied by Srdjan, was empty.
“We both agreed it would probably be better if he wasn’t there,” Djokovic said after winning his tenth Australian Open title.
“That hurts him and me a lot, because they are special moments, unique moments that who knows will be repeated. It was not easy for him. I saw him after the game and he was not feeling very well, let’s say. He was happy to hug me, but I could tell he was a little sad.”
“In the end we had a happy ending,” concluded 35-year-old Djokovic.
The tennis player’s father had also missed the semifinals after facing requests, led by Ukraine, to be excluded from the Grand Slam at Melbourne Park.
A video posted to a pro-Russian YouTube account on Thursday showed him posing with a man holding a Russian flag with the face of President Vladimir Putin.
The video was captioned: “Novak Djokovic’s father makes a bold political statement.”
Djokovic later defended his father, saying there had been a “misinterpretation” of the footage and that it was not intended to harm him.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, has asked Srdjan Djokovic to forfeit his stadium pass.
Source: DN
