A massive controversy erupted after video of Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic's father Sardjan posing with fans holding Russian flags at the ongoing Australian Open 2023 went viral on the internet. As reported by AFP, the video was posted to a pro-Russian Australian YouTube account on Thursday. The Serbian star's father faced severe backlash from Ukraine supporters soon after the clip went viral, with several people calling for him to be banned from the tournament.
The incident reportedly took place after Djokovic defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets to qualify for the semifinals.
Pics showing my father holding Russian flags 'misinterpreted', says Novak Djokovic
"I saw as everyone else saw what happened and it was unfortunate the misinterpretation of what happened has escalated to such a high level," Djokovic said after the match, as reported by AFP.
"It has got to me of course. I was not aware of it until last night. And then of course I was not pleased to see that.
"My father, my whole family have been through several wars. As my father put in the statement, we are against the war. We will never support any violence or war," he added.
He said his father had been greeting fans outside Rod Laver Arena after every match he played to thank them for their support.
"The photo that he made, he was passing through, I heard what he said and it was 'cheers'," said Djokovic.
"Unfortunately some media has interpreted that in a really wrong way. I'm sorry that it has escalated so much."
Some media reported that he said in Serbian: "Long live Russia."
"I hope people will understand that there was absolutely no intention whatsoever to support any kind of war initiatives," added Djokovic.