Serbia’s Novak Djokovic reacted with disappointment after losing to Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in the men’s singles tennis match for the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, held at the Ariake Tennis Park on July 31, 2021. Following this event, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, urged tennis officials to ban Djokovic’s father from participating in the Australian Open. This call came after a video surfaced showing Srdjan Djokovic posing with fans who were holding Russian flags. Myroshnychenko stated, “He should be stripped of his accreditation. It’s up to Novak and his team to address this and fix it.”
The ambassador also emphasized the importance of Novak Djokovic addressing the situation directly. He urged Djokovic to personally apologize and clarify his stance regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “It’s important for Novak to address this situation,” Myroshnychenko said. “He should apologize for what has happened and condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
The controversy escalated when a video posted on a pro-Russian Australian YouTube account depicted Srdjan Djokovic alongside a man holding a Russian flag featuring Vladimir Putin’s face. The video was captioned, “Novak Djokovic’s father makes bold political statement.” Serbian tennis reporters confirmed the identity of Djokovic’s father, and the Melbourne Age newspaper reported that he expressed support for Russia by saying, “Long live Russia” in Serbian. Additionally, another individual was photographed inside the stadium during Djokovic’s match wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the pro-war “Z” symbol. In response to the incident, tournament organizer Tennis Australia stated that it would continue to collaborate with security to enforce entry rules, but did not specifically address the actions of Djokovic’s father.
Comments are closed for this story.