The controversy swells around the father of Novak de Djokovic.

The latter gave up going to the stadium to attend his son's Australian Open semi-final, so as not to stir up tensions.

"I'm only here to support my son. I didn't intend to make headlines or cause any disruptions (...). So that there are no disruptions during the semi-final for my son nor for his opponent, I chose to watch the match from home," Srdjan Djokovic wrote on Friday January 27 in a press release, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

"I want it to be a great game and I will cheer on my son as always."

This is…quite a mess for the #AusOpen, to say the least.



Srdjan Djokovic posing with the pro-Putin rally last night just outside Rod Laver Arena.



The levels of security breakdowns that allowed for this are staggering.



Story/video via @jamesgraysport:https://t.co/L4gtaKKNP6 pic.twitter.com/qnOx3MGYqB

— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 26, 2023

Accreditation withdrawn

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.

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This video provoked a strong reaction from the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia who demanded that Srdjan Djokovic be withdrawn from his accreditation for the tournament.

Excuses"

He also demanded an "apology" from the player himself, yet involved neither near nor far.

“Throughout the tournament, we have spoken with the players and their teams about the importance of not engaging in activities that could cause disruption,” said the Australian Football Federation (TA), taking note of the statement from "Srdjan Djokovic in which he confirms that he will not attend the semi-final this (Friday) evening".

"We reiterate the ban on the flags of Belarus and Russia," the TA statement added.

Initially allowed inside 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 .

With AFP

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