Earlier today, the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia called on the organization of the Australian Open tennis tournament not to allow the father of tennis player Novak Djokovic to enter. “Djokovic’s father must lose his dependence. Novak and his team have to deal with this and fix it,” Ambassador Vasyl Mirosnichenko told AFP. He also wants an apology from Serjan Djokovic and believes the tennis player’s father should condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Pictures are located Myroshnychenko, on a pro-Russian YouTube account in Australia. Sardjan was seen next to a man holding the Russian flag with the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin on it. The video’s caption read, “A bold political statement from Djokovic’s father.”
It is clear that Serjan Djokovic is aware of the seriousness of his actions, because today his seat in the Djokovic box remained empty during the semi-final against American Tommy Paul. “In order not to disturb my son or his opponent, I decided to watch the match on TV,” he said in a statement to Australian media. “It was never my intention to cause such a fuss. I’m just here to support my son.”
Djokovic to the final
Novak Djokovic (ATP 5) qualified for the final on Friday. The Serb, ranked fourth, defeated American Tommy Ball (ATP 35) in two hours and twenty minutes 7-5, 6-1, 6-2.
This will be his 10th final in Melbourne for the 35-year-old Djokovic. He won all the previous nine, between 2008 and 2021. His opponent on Sunday at Rod Laver Arena will be the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas (TP4). And he beat Russia’s Karen Khachanov (ATP 20) in four sets in the first semi-final.
Djokovic has already played 12 matches against the 24-year-old Tsitsipas. The stats are tied at 10-2 in favor of the Serb, who has won the last nine matches. Tennis players have already faced each other in the Grand Slam final. In 2021, Djokovic won his second Roland Garros title by defeating Tsitsipas in five sets.
With nine final victories at Melbourne Park, Djokovic is already the record holder. The tenth win brings his total number of Grand Slam titles to 22, tying the record of Spaniard Rafael Nadal. Last year, Djokovic was not part of the ‘happy slam’ due to his refusal to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
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