Venue: Melbourne Park Dates:16-29 January |
Coverage: Commentary each time from 07:00 GMT connected BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 'Tennis Breakfast' unrecorded from Melbourne, with selected unrecorded substance commentaries and lucifer reports connected the BBC Sport website & app |
Srjdan Djokovic volition ticker his lad Novak's Australian Open semi-final from location to debar causing "disruption" aft being pictured with supporters of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The 62-year-old was photographed with a antheral holding a Russian emblem with Putin's look connected it aft his son's triumph implicit Russian Andrey Rublev connected Wednesday.
Nine-time champion Novak faces American Tommy Paul successful Melbourne connected Friday.
"I americium present to enactment my lad only," Srdjan said successful a statement.
The images of Srdjan besides featured a antheral wearing a T-shirt printed with the pro-war Z awesome pursuing Djokovic's quarter-final victory.
Russian and Belarusian flags and symbols person been banned astatine Melbourne Park since a Russian emblem was displayed during a lucifer betwixt Ukraine's Kateryna Baindl and Russia's Kamilla Rakhimova connected the opening day.
Srdjan said: "I was extracurricular with Novak's fans arsenic I person done aft each of my son's matches to observe his wins and instrumentality pictures with them. I had nary volition of being caught up successful this.
"My household has lived done the fearfulness of war, and we privation lone for peace.
"So determination is nary disruption to [the] semi-final for my lad oregon for the different player, I person chosen to ticker from home.
"I privation for a large lucifer and I volition beryllium cheering for my son, arsenic always."
Tennis Australia has responded to the contention and said it "stands with the telephone for bid and an extremity to warfare and convulsive struggle successful Ukraine".
The connection added: "After the events of Wednesday night, we acted swiftly to enactment with constabulary and our information teams to person the instigators of the protestation removed from the venue.
"Throughout the lawsuit we've spoken with players and their teams astir the value of not engaging successful immoderate enactment that causes distress oregon disruption.
"Mr Srdjan Djokovic has issued a connection confirming that helium volition not be tonight's semi-final.
"We volition proceed to strive for the information of fans astatine the lawsuit and reiterate our presumption banning flags from Belarus and Russia."