Australian Open: Tennis Australia’s new low with spineless response to Srdan Djokovic

There’s no place for yellowbellies when it comes to dealing with Vladimir Putin. tennis Australia boss Craig Tiley was spineless and has to go.

Tennis Australia’s spineless response to the despicable behaviour of Novak Djokovic’s father marks a new low for a once-proud national sporting body that appears to have lost its moral compass.

If Tennis Australia’s chief executive Craig Tiley has any sense of decency, he should consider standing down immediately and let someone else do the job because he’s failed a simple test of leadership and embarrassed the entire country and the sport of tennis.

Caught on video posing for photos with supporters of Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine, Djokovic’s father Srdan should have been instantly stripped of his accreditation and banned from attending any more of his son’s matches in Melbourne.

Novak Djokovic’s father Srdan should have been instantly stripped of his accreditation and banned from attending any more of his son’s matches in Melbourne over pro-Putin stance. Picture: Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images

Already under attack for going soft on Putin’s fanatical supporters, this was a golden opportunity for Tennis Australia’s gutless leaders to finally show some backbone and do the right thing – but they screwed up because they lacked courage under fire.

Instead of taking decisive action, Tennis Australia took the easy way out, issuing a wishy-washy statement.

The entire sporting world will be disappointed by Tennis Australia – and rightly so – because there’s no place for yellowbellies when it comes to dealing with Putin.

As the leader of Tennis Australia, the buck stops with the South African-born Tiley, who loves to be front and centre of attention when things are going well, but has also exposed himself as a chameleon.

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

Disappearing quicker than a rat up a drain pipe, he was nowhere to be seen last year when he was called out for his botched handling of Djokovic’s immigration status.

How he survived that debacle, no-one really knows because it wasn’t the first time he let his enormous ego blur the lines.

His petty refusal to move the dates of the Australian Open from January to avoid the scorching summer heat and the protests on Australia Day illustrates how out of step he remains with the rest of the country.

His stubborn rejection to change the ludicrous scheduling of matches that finish after 4am after complaints of top players, reeks of an emperor who needs to be reminded he’s not wearing any clothes.

His default response whenever the heat is on is always to shoot down the messenger but the problem with always trying to spin your way out of trouble is that eventually no-one ever believes anything you say again.

Tiley’s leadership credentials will now come under even more scrutiny because of his cosy relationship with Djokovic, including questions about why his father was not sanctioned.

Would a parent of a lower-ranked Aussie player get off scot-free?

Craig Tiley has come under scrutiny for his cosy relationship with Novak Djokovic. Picture: Greg WOOD / AFP

One thing for sure is that after being deported from Australia last year for refusing to get vaccinated, Tennis Australia has rolled out the red carpet for Djokovic this time.

He is the only player in the tournament to be given the prime-time slot for every match he has played so far and Tennis Australia even arranged an exhibition match for him at Rod Laver Arena before the tournament began.

Djokovic should not be blamed or held responsible for his father’s choices but Tennis Australia’s limp-wristed response has done him no favours.

If the sport ever wants to regain the trust of the Australian public heads should roll.