28 January 2023 , 17:11
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Novak Djokovic's father could be banned from the Australian Open final as he awaits a decision from tournament organisers on his controversial interaction with Vladimir Putin supporters.
Djokovic is targeting a record-extending 10th Australian Open title in Sunday's showdown against Stefanos Tsitsipas in Melbourne.
But he might be without the support of his father on the Rod Laver Arena after footage emerged of Srdjan Djokovic at a pro-Russian demonstration on Wednesday.
Djokovic's father was pictured alongside a man holding a Russian flag wearing a t-shirt with the letter 'Z' - which is a pro-war symbol of Putin's Ukraine invasion.
And he watched his son's semi-final victory over American Tommy Paul from home amid uproar from the footage that had been posted on a pro-Russian Youtube channel.
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He later insisted that he had been unwittingly caught up in the protests and had no intention of making a political statement.
"I am here to support my son only," his statement read. "I had no intention of causing such headlines or disruptionI had no intention of being caught up in this. My family has lived through the horror of war, and we wish only for peace."
And Djokovic, chasing his 22nd Grand Slam title, said that the 'misrepresentation' of his father was 'unfortunate'.
The 35-year-old claimed his father had been making his way through a gathering after his quarter-final victory over Andrey Rublev and was "misused" by the Russian supporters.
Djokovic’s father was filmed posing for a photo with pro-Russia supporters (AussieCossack/Youtube)"There was a lot of Serbian flags around,' Djokovic said. "That's what he thought. He thought he was making a photo with somebody from Serbia. That's it. He moved on."
Djokovic's parents have travelled Down Under for the first time since he won his maiden Aussie Open title in 2008, but Srdjan's visit has now been shrouded in controversy.
And it is still unclear whether he will be allowed courtside for Sunday's final, as Tennis Australia CEO and tournament director Craig Tiley confirmed a late call will be made over his attendance.
Djokovic is targeting a 10th Australian Open title on Sunday (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)"I couldn’t give you a definitive answer now,' Tiley told News Corp. "We’re in a different situation, and [on Sunday] night, whether or not that has an impact on it or not... I think the decision not to be there on Friday night was on the fact that there was a lot of intensity around that action.
Tiley added: "He was very clear that he had absolutely no intent for this to happen. And that there was no purposeful position to do it.
"The family were devastated that it came across that way, and particularly Novak because he is focused on winning."
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