Novak Djokovic’s father opted not to attend the Australian Open final, despite tournament boss Craig Tiley announcing he would be free to attend Rod Laver Arena for his son’s match against Stefanos Tsitsipas. Djokovic won Sunday night’s final 6-3 7-6 (4) 7-6 (5), capturing his 22nd grand slam title to go equal with Rafa Nadal’s men’s record.
However Djokovic’s father Srdjan wasn’t in attendance to witness it. Srdjan was captured posing with pro-Russia spectators on Wednesday night following his son’s quarter-final victory over Andrey Rublev, which sparked enormous controversy.
Following the drama, Srdjan opted not to attend the semi-final on Friday night to stay away from the furore that he unwittingly stirred up. But in what was sure to be a controversial move, Tiley revealed Djokovic’s father was free to take his place at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night after accepting the Serb had inadvertently been swept up in the drama.
“It’s his decision. We’re going to let it be his decision and ultimately he’s got to make the call,” Tiley told AAP on Sunday afternoon.
“He didn’t breach any event policy. That’s really important because what’s been written about what he (allegedly) said hasn’t been correct and I think people are back-tracking from that. That’s unfortunate that massive assumptions were made.”
But in a frresh twist, Djokovic’s father did not appear at Rod Laver Arena to watch the start the match. Djokovic went on to win his 22nd grand slam title to draw level with Rafa Nadal. Regardless, fans noticed the major absence in Djokovic’s player’s box.
