ARYNA WILL BE NO BEL OF THE BALL DJOK’S ROCKED
Novak reaches his 10th Aussie Open final and reveals how row over pro-putin flag affected him ...but insists his father’s the victim
FROM NEIL MCLEMAN in Melbourne BELARUSIAN Aryna Sabalenka will take on Moscow-born Elena Rybakina today in an Australian Open women’s final laden with political significance.
Unlike at Wimbledon, where Rybakina won the title for Kazakhstan, Russians and Belarusians are allowed to compete here under a neutral flag.
But four fans were evicted from Melbourne Park on Wednesday for displaying
Russian flags and Novak
Djokovic’s father Srdjan was pictured posing with Putinsupporting fans.
Ukrainian world
No.61 Marta Kostyuk, who lost in the semifinals of the women’s doubles, revealed her disappointment at the flags being on display.
“It really hurts and I don’t understand how this can be possible,” she said.
The 20-year-old, born in Kyiv, also believes the
Wimbledon ban on
Russians and
Belarusians should remain in 2023.
“If someone
Russian or
Belarusian wins the tournament, then the
Royal Family has to hold the trophies with them. I can hardly imagine this.
“This is one of the big reasons they actually banned them.”
Wimbledon were stripped of their right to award world-ranking points last year, so Rybakina (above) is guaranteed to be in the top
10 after failing to benefit from her Wimbledon win.
She has the advantage over Sabalenka (top) of already winning a Grand
Slam. “Everything was new at Wimbledon,” she said.
“Now I more or less understand what to expect.”
NOVAK DJOKOVIC admitted the controversy over his father being filmed with pro-putin fans had “got” to him after sealing a 10th Australian Open final appearance.
“We are against the war, we never will support any violence or any war,” Djokovic said.
The nine-time champ argued with the umpire and grumpily lost a 5-1 lead in the first set before outclassing
Tommy Paul
(below left) 7-5
6-1 6-2 to set up a showdown with
Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Srdjan Djokovic announced he would not attend last night’s semifinal to avoid “disruption” after he was filmed posing with fans holding a Russian flag showing the face of President Vladimir Putin (right). One fan was also wearing a T-shirt in support of the invasion of Ukraine.
But Djokovic hopes his father will return to the Rod Laver Arena for his 33rd Grand Slam final after insisting Srdjan had been a victim.
“He was misused in this situation by this group of people,” he said.
“I can’t be angry with him or upset because I can say it was not his fault. He went out to celebrate with my fans. There were a lot of Serbian flags around. He thought he was taking a photo with somebody from Serbia. My whole family have been through several wars. We are against the war, we never will support any violence or any war. We know how devastating it is.
“I’m sorry that this has escalated so much. But I hope people understand that there was absolutely no intention to support any kind of war.”
And Djokovic, back in Australia after his deportation last year, said the latest controversy had taken its toll as he seeks a record-equalling 22nd Grand Slam title.
“It has got to me,” he admitted. “It’s not pleasant to go through this with all the things I had to deal with last year. It’s not something I want or need. I hope that people will let it be and we can focus on tennis.”
Asked if his father will return to watch the final, Djokovic added: “Let’s see. It wasn’t pleasant not to have him in the box. I would like to have him there for the final.”
Djokovic is now 10/10 for Australian Open semi-finals - and will try to maintain his unbeaten record in finals here against No.3 seed Tsitsipas. The winner will also end Carlos Alcaraz’s 20-week reign as world No.1.
Tsitsipas, who beat Karen Khachanov 7-6 6-4 6-7 6-3, is looking for revenge for his loss to Djokovic in his first Grand Slam final at the 2021 French Open. “I am close,” he said. “I am happy that this opportunity comes here in Australia and not elsewhere.”