Tennis Australia fires a double fault over warning to Novak Djokovic’s Dad Srdjan on Russia issue

Novak Djokovic and controversies have a love affair. More so, when it comes to the Australia Open. The latest in a series of missiles fired at the man who is gunning for his 10th Australian Open is from Tennis Australia. They have issued a warning to Novak that his father should not be seen promoting Russia, Vladimir Putin, and war.

It is well known, for the last two days, a controversy has been raging over the Russian flag with the Z mark and Srdjan Djokovic seen with those promoting a warring state. Tennis Australia has warned Novak Djokovic and his family not to promote political causes. A video is doing the rounds and some newspapers from Australia and the Western media have turned hostile towards the Djokovic family.

The Russia versus Ukraine war plus Belarus is a taboo word that has been discussed more than forehands and backhands at the Australian Open. Britain and other nations in Europe plus the United States of America have been opposing Vladimir Putin and Russia from Day One.

Australia, known as Down Under, has been quiet, in comparison to the Russian war topic. They made the mistake of allowing fans to carry flags which could create trouble. Worse, because of poor crowd control and security some flag mix-ups also took place, wherein diplomats from Ukraine also had to step in for damage control.

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Australia’s warning on a purported video showing Srdjan supporting Russia and Putin seems inaccurate

It is surprising that so late into the Grand Slam fortnight, Tennis Australia, headed by Craig Tiley has woken up. As it is, Tennis Australia and the organizers of the AO have been floundering this time. The warning to Novak is definitely an attempt to disturb him, it appears.

In the video, Srdjan can be seen standing with the ringleader of the demonstration while holding up a Russian flag with Putin’s face printed on it. He is accused of saying “Long live the Russians,” while the ringleader sends messages of support to a pro-Putin Moscow biker gang and Russian presence in the war in Ukraine, according to Yahoo Sports.

The video on Russia surfaced after Novak Djokovic had smoked out Russian Andrey Rublev on Wednesday. What is baffling is how Novak is responsible for the actions of his father. It is well known Novak has faced testing times from Australia. If Tennis Australia is serious about his father, they can ban him from entering the premises of Melbourne Park.

There is no way Novak is supporting his Dad Srdjan or has said anything about Russia. Novak’s entire focus is his own game and how he can win his 10th Australian Open title. To the contrary, Novak has been dragged into controversies many times. His responses have been smart, just the way he plays tennis.

If Tennis Australia wants to show its might, they should ban pro-Russian protesters from the tennis courts. After all, if fans carry flags, it can be checked. Last year, when Novak was deported over his anti-vaccine status and his visa was overturned, Australia was split as a country itself.

Their own citizens were divided over vaccination and the lockdown in Australia and the inter-state lockdown was meaningless. At a time when Novak is focused on his semi-final and possibly the final, a warning to him from Tennis Australia is just not on.

Is there some political pressure on Australia, all of a sudden, prompting such warnings only the political leadership can answer. Right now, Tennis Australia and the AO are mixing sports and politics. Double fault!

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