Australian Open 2023: Alex Dolgopolov calls out Novak Djokovic

Former world number 13 Alex Dolopolov, who is now a soldier in the Ukrainian army, has questioned Novak Djokovic’s claims about his father’s role in a pro-Russian controversy.

Novak Djokovic.

Ukrainian tennis player turned soldier Alex Dolgopolov has questioned Novak Djokovic’s defence of his father, who this week became embroiled in a pro-Russian controversy on the steps of Rod Laver Arena.

Djokovic mounted an impassioned defence of his father Srdjan Djokovic, who did not attend Friday night’s semi-final win over Tommy Paul, after he was filmed taking photographs with fans brandishing Russian flags with Vladimir Putin’s face on them.

In his post-match press conference Djokovic declared he and his father were “against the war, we never will support any violence or any war.”

Would be nice if that’s true. Also would be logic to ask their fans publicly to stop wearing Z letter, putins face and russian flags to their matches if that’s true, because that’s the purest war support signs but we are not hearing those words, unfortunately. https://t.co/RvDrfesInL

— Alex Dolgopolov (@TheDolgo) January 27, 2023

However Dolgopolov questioned the legitimacy of Djokovic’s statement and why the Nine-time Australian Open champion had not used the platform to urge fans to stop their pro-Russian demonstrations at Melbourne Park.

“Would be nice if that’s true,” Dolgopolov tweeted.

“Also would be logic to ask their fans publicly to stop wearing Z letter, putins [sic] face and Russian flags to their matches if that’s true, because that’s the purest war support signs but we are not hearing those words, unfortunately.”

Four fans were removed from the Australian Open by police for brandishing Russian flags, which had previously been banned following demonstrations earlier in the tournament.

Some fans were also seen wearing shirts with the letter Z on them – a Russian pro-war symbol – including American-Serb ‘super fan’ Zoran Pavlovic, who was spoken to by police but allowed to remain inside Melbourne Park after claiming the Z symbol was in reference to his first name.

Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine is now a soldier in the war against Russia.

In his semi-final post-match press conference, Djokovic defended the vision of his father mingling with the pro-Russian fans, claiming it was misinterpreted by the media.

“The photo that he made, he was passing through. I heard what he said in the video. He said, ‘Cheers’. Unfortunately some of the media has interpreted that in a really wrong way,” Djokovic said.

“I’m sorry that that has escalated so much. But I hope people understand that there was absolutely no intention whatsoever to support any kind of war initiatives or anything like that.

“There was a lot of Serbian flags around. That’s what he thought. He thought he was making photo with somebody from Serbia. That’s it. He moved on.”

Novak Djokovic’s father, Srdjan (L) in Russian flag controversy at Australian Open.

Djokovic senior chose not to attend Friday night’s semi-final due to the furore, though did release a statement claiming he “wishes only for peace”.

“I am here to support my son only. I had no intention of causing such headlines or disruption.”

Former world No. 13 Dolgopolov, who reached the quarterfinals of the 2011 Australian Open, retired in 2018.

His last match was against Djokovic at the Paris Masters. Eighteen months later he enlisted in the Ukrainian army, and last year joined the war effort against invading Russian forces.

“The one and only guilty of this war is Russia and a little less Belarus that has to be clearly said,” Dolgopolov tweeted.

“Get the hell out to our 1991 borders and the war will stop. Will happen anyway, just a matter how much people die before it’s reached.”

SHATTERED UKRAINIAN STAR RESPONDS TO DJOKER DAD’S RUSSIA VIDEO

– Owen Leonard

Young Ukrainian star Marta Kostyuk says she is “really hurt” Vladimir Putin supporters managed to slip past security and believes footage of Novak Djokovic’s father posing for photos with them cannot be left unaccounted for.

The Putin supporters on Wednesday night flew a Russian flag featuring its leader’s head over the steps leading into Rod Laver Arena, with war symbolism such as the Z emblem also on display.

On Thursday, footage emerged of Srdjan Djokovic taking photos with the group. In the video posted to YouTube by Aussie Cossack, Srdjan appears to say “zivjeli Russiyani”, which translates from Serbian to “long live Russians”.

“This kind of thing cannot be left unseen,” Kostyuk, 20, said on Friday.

“It doesn't matter who you are, no one’s allowed to do it.

“It's very upsetting.”

A Russian flag displayed earlier in the tournament before it was banned.

Kostyuk, ranked world no. 61, refrained from calling for Srdjan to be banned for the tournament’s remainder, saying she did not have the power and that she already copped enough backlash from “very aggressive Novak fans”.

Srdjan released a statement on Friday saying he would avoid attending his son’s semifinal to avert “disruption”.

Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley said pre-tournament if any spectator was to “disrupt the enjoyment of anyone else, (then) boom, they are out”.

However, TA has declined to comment on whether it approached the Djokovic camp over the incident.

Instead, a TA statement Thursday said: “Players and their teams have been briefed and reminded of the event policy regarding flags and symbols and to avoid any situation that has the potential to disrupt.”

Neither Kostyuk nor her doubles partner Elena-Gabriela Ruse ever received such a memo, they said. It remains unclear which “players and their teams” were ever briefed by TA.

TA did not respond when asked on Friday.

“I think Novak was notified – I think, I don’t know,” Kostyuk said.

“I don't know what’s been said inside of the email. I never even found out, so I don’t know.”

Marta Kostyuk says she is hurt that Vladimir Putin supporters made it into the Australian Open.

Kostyuk said she was still struggling to come to terms with the fact that supporters were able to sneak pro-Russia material into Melbourne Park and then into the arena itself.

“It hurts, a lot,” she said.

“There were specific rules that were printed out outside that you're not allowed to bring out the flags and so on.

“It really hurt that they (were) there for quite some time. They were there on the court, in the stands as well.

“I just don't understand. It really hurts, and I don’t understand how this can be possible.”