Novak Djokovic's father has insisted he was unwittingly caught up in a pro-Russian demonstration at the Australian Open but has decided not to attend his son's semi-final against Tommy Paul.
A video on a Russian activist's YouTube channel emerged on Thursday showing Srdjan Djokovic standing with a man holding a Russian flag with Vladimir Putin's face on it. The protestor was also wearing a t-shirt bearing the Z symbol that demonstrates support for the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, reacted by calling for him to be banned from the first Grand Slam of the year. Former world No 13 Alex Dolgopolov, who reached the quarter finals in Melbourne in 2011 Australian Open, tweeted his disgust and accused Djokovic, 62, of openly praising "a genocidal regime."
