Srinagar: Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic has been dragged into a major controversy as pictures of his father have emerged in which the senior Djokovic is seen with fans holding Pro Russian flags.
The Serbian star had just booked his place in the tournament semi-final with a straight sets thumping of Russian opponent Andrey Rublev in Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday night.
After the match a group of fans unfurled Russian flags near the stadium, including one featuring Vladimir Putin’s face, chanting pro-Russian slogans.
Tennis Australia said four people “revealed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards”. Police were called and they were ejected from Melbourne Park.
A video later posted to a pro-Russian Australian YouTube account showed Djokovic’s father Srdjan posing with a man holding the Putin flag.
It was captioned: “Novak Djokovic’s father makes bold political statement.”
Serbian tennis reporters confirmed it was Djokovic’s father and the Melbourne Age newspaper reported he said in Serbian: “Long live Russia.”