Novak Djokovic dad to stay away from Australian Open semifinal

Novak Djokovics father decided to stay away from the 21time Grand Slam champions semifinal after getting embroiled in a flap involving spectators who brought banned Russian flags to Melbourne Park Tennis Australia said FridayIn a release emailed to reporters about 2 12 hours before Djokovic was scheduled to face Tommy Paul for a berth in the mens singles final tournament organizers said Srdjan Djokovic has issued a statement confirming that he will not attend the matchThroughout the event weve spoken with players and their teams about the importance of not engaging in any activity that causes distress or disruption Tennis Australia saidWe will continue to strive for the safety of fans at the event and reiterate our position banning flags from Belarus and Russia the group added Tennis Australia stands with the call for peace and an end to war and violent conflict in UkraineAlso readIt was an incredible battle Novak DjokovicAfter the younger Djokovics quarterfinal victory over Russian player Andrey Rublev on Wednesday Srdjan Djokovic was filmed standing with a group of people waving Russian flags at least one showing an image of Vladimir Putin outside Rod Laver ArenaFour people were kicked out of the tournament because of the flags and for threatening security guards that night police and Tennis Australia saidOn Jan 17 the second day of the Australian Open flags from Russia and Belarus were banned from Melbourne Park after more than one was brought into the stands by spectators the day beforeNormally flags can be displayed during matches at Melbourne Park But Tennis Australia reversed that policy for the two countries involved in the invasion of Ukraine that began nearly a year ago saying the flags were causing disruptionAthletes from Russia and Belarus were barred last year from competing in various sports events including the mens World Cup in soccer and Wimbledon the Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup in tennis because of the war in Ukraine Russia invaded with help from Belarus in FebruaryRussian and Belarusian players have been allowed to play at the Australian Open French Open and US Open but as neutral athletes so their nationalities are not acknowledged on any official schedules or results for the event and their countries flags are not displayed on TV graphicsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever