Why Srdjan Djokovic’s posing for photos with Putin supporters isn’t as controversial as you’d think

Srdjan Djokovic has damaged his son’s image before, particularly in the West but the court of public opinion in Australia has them all wrong, according to an insider.

Novak Djokovic has been a controversial figure at this Australian Open. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

Novak Djokovic’s father has damaged his son’s image before, especially in the West.

I know many Australians still resent Srdjan Djokovic for his press conferences last year, when Novak was deported.

But he did not say “Long live the Russians!” in the viral video captured outside Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday night.

I am 100 per cent certain of that. The YouTube captions are wrong and, judging by his body language and demeanour, I don’t believe Srdjan knew he posed for a photo next to Russian flags.

It’s complicated for you guys to understand, because it’s homonyms. But in this context where he says “Živeli, ljudi” in Serbian, that’s like, “Cheers, folks”.

At the same time it’s also goodbye. So it is “Cheers, folks, I’m gone”. That’s what it means if you want the descriptive translation.

On Thursday I was quite surprised to read in headlines that Novak’s father had apparently said, “Long live the Russians!”.

It just wasn’t true. In fairness, had he wanted to say that, the first word would sound similar phonetically. But not the second word. It’s loud and clear – it’s not like it is hazy.

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

When I saw those headlines I texted a few of my friends asking, ’Am I imagining things or is he just saying, ‘Cheers, folks’?

And then when you look at the video, he’s walking away. Hence he says, “Cheers, folks’.

I have seen this man on TV for the last 15 years. If he was going to do something provocative like what was reported, then he would’ve done it much differently. He would’ve been holding the mic and gone all-in – just like he did in last year’s press conferences.

Instead, I know he was there to thank people for having Novak’s back. He also did that after Novak’s last matches, particularly to one elderly lady in the crowd.

Also, I believe he made a smart choice not to attend Novak’s semi-final match.

The media narrative on Novak in the western world is interesting. To be fair, there are a lot of great, impartial reporters, but there are some who tend to find stories on Novak when they are not there. If it was another player, they wouldn’t ask the same questions or deal with it so much, but with Novak issues tend to amplify.

I will just name one benign example, although there are many. I remember at Roland Garros in 2019 when Roger Federer played Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals. Federer lost a point on a lucky net cord from Nadal and was angry.

So he took the ball and swung it out of the stadium. It was obvious some spectators were scared, but Federer did not get one question about it in the press conference.

Novak Djokovic’s time in Australia has been laced with controversy since his arrival. Photo: Tennis Australia/ SCOTT BARBOUR

For me personally that is not worth a question, but believe me – if Novak did the same thing, it would be a headline before the press conference, and then a separate news piece. And then three questions in the press conference, and then an analysis on his answers. Why did he say it like that and not like this?

This week people have also questioned Novak’s hamstring injury. I really don’t think that’s fair either.

We all saw it, he didn’t injure himself at practice. He injured himself in a match against Daniil Medvedev and he’s not practising on his days off. Why would he fake it? I would like an answer.

In Serbia most people love him. Every time he is there he’ll do something like stand in the streets and play with the kids. He really has an honest relationship with his fans and is truly appreciative of their support.

Personally, I know at least three or four things that Novak did that nobody knows about – and that he doesn’t want people to know about, so that’s why I can’t share.

Even in Australia I feel like the narrative does not match the court of public opinion. I think people love him here, I really do. When I see the media maybe not so much, but when I speak to ordinary people everyday in the shop or in the grounds, I really get a sense that people do love him.

Djokovic has been a polarising figure in Australia. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP) /

If Novak was to go out in front of 10,000 random people then maybe the reaction would be different. I doubt it, but maybe. But here, at the tennis and in front of tennis fans, I had no doubt that this year’s reception was going to be warm.

I’ve been covering tennis since 2006 and have travelled to most grand slams since 2015. I’ve seen Novak win nine slams, including three in Melbourne.

He’s made his mistakes, just like anyone else. When you talk about media coverage, he did sometimes give the ammo to people to fire at him.

But I can vouch for him. He is a good guy.