Novak Djokovic

The Serbian hopes to have his father in his box for the final against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday.

I hope he’s going to be feeling OK to be in the courts because I would like to have him there for the finals.” “Of course, it’s not pleasant for me to go through this with all the things that I had to deal with last year and this year in Australia. “Of course, it wasn’t pleasant not to have him in the box. “I can’t be angry with him or upset because I can say it was not his fault. Speaking at a press conference, Djokovic said: “It was unfortunate that the misinterpretation of what happened has escalated to such a high level. Unfortunately some of the media has interpreted that in a really wrong way.

The 35-year-old is scything his way through the Australian Open in a haze of righteous fury after being deported a year ago.

He remains, for example, a disciple of the wellness guru Chervin Jafarieh, who has a podcast with the amazingly terrible/brilliant name Wake The Fake Up, who starts each day with an hour and a half of trampolining followed by a mouthful of “longevity mushrooms”, and who basically wants to sell you his wellness products via Novak’s Instagram page. Is this all forbidden fruit, a tennis version of the good bits with the devil in Paradise Lost that you’re not supposed to enjoy? Is it wrong, is it weak, is it politically suspect to appreciate the dark pleasure in this revenger’s story, the extraordinary dramatic arc? Now, a year on, we have this, a 35-year-old scything his way through the tournament in a haze of righteous fury. By the end Djokovic was playing at something close to his most irresistible pitch, a level of intensity and precision where the opponent basically becomes irrelevant, an ominous prospect for Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday afternoon. And yet aged 35 he is now on the verge of completing one of the most mind-bogglingly cinematic narrative arcs in sporting history.

While en route to a securing a record breaking win streak at the Australian Open Novak Djokovic engaged in a passionate chat with the chair umpire on the ...

But Djokovic showed his champion qualities as he won the next two games to clinch the first set 7-5 to a chorus of boos from the crowd. Djokovic hit back: “It's the first time I've been to the towel this game, and you start the clock before I touch the towel. The 35-year-old argued that the chair umpire should have started the shot clock after he had gone to collect his towel. Tim Henman, working in his role as a Eurosport pundit, agreed that the incident distracted him. The two-hour, 20-minute 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 win set up a blockbuster championship match clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who earlier defeated Karen Khachanov 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3. Having opened up a commanding 5-1 lead in the opening set on Rod Laver Arena, the Serbian was left flustered by a serve clock violation when he went to get his towel.

Record-holder Novak Djokovic will meet Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday's Australian Open final as the Serb seeks to maintain his 100 per cent record in the ...

Tsitsipas could become the first player to beat Djokovic in an Australian Open final, though the world No. Open](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/us-open-tennis) last year due to vaccination policy. [controversy surrounding his father, Srdjan](https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/tennis/novak-djokovic-dad-vladimir-putin-29054031), to deliver an almost flawless display in the Melbourne heat. 5's record in the competition and his current levels of play put him firmly in the driver's seat. "So it's a Grand Slam final, I'm fighting for the No. "These are the moments that I've been working hard for, to be able to play finals like this, finals that have bigger meaning than just a final," he told reporters. Sunday's decider holds extra significance for Tsitsipas, too, after he beat Karen Khachanov 7-6(2), 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 to put himself within reach of the global summit. The veteran then issued a feisty challenge to another of his emerging rivals as he addressed Tsitsipas directly: "Stefanos, see you in two days." The 24-year-old went two sets up on that occasion before succumbing to Djokovic, who reached all four Grand Slam finals that year. Paul's plight continued when he lost his opening serve for the third time in as many sets, struggling to keep up with Djokovic's slick standards across the court. That's after he beat Tommy Paul 7-5, 6-1, 6-2 to make it 14 sets won in a row at the Australian Open. He then admitted even his "vivid imagination" wouldn't have thought he'd compete for 10 Australian Opens when he clinched his maiden major in Melbourne back in 2008.

Novak Djokovics father misses semi-final after emergence of a video showing him posing with fans holding Russian flags; nine-time champion says the incident ...

Unfortunately some of the media has interpreted that in a really wrong way. "There was a lot of Serbian flags around. "It was unfortunate that the misinterpretation of what happened has escalated to such a high level. It really hurts and I don't understand how this can be possible." Then, of course, I was not pleased to see that. I hope that people will let it be, and we can focus on tennis.

Novak Djokovic's dad watched his son's Australian Open semi-final win over Tommy Paul from home.

Sunday's final is a repeat of the 2021 French Open clash between Djokovic and Tsitsipas, where the Serbian tennis star came back from two sets down to win. I hope he's going to be feeling okay to be in the courts because I would like to have him there for the finals." The Serbian tennis star defended his dad, insisting he was "misused by this group of people". The 21-time Grand Slam champion was able to come through the match unscathed, setting up a final with Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday. Srdjan faced a huge backlash for his actions, which also saw him stand alongside a man wearing the pro-war 'Z' symbol on his t-shirt. Srdjan Djokovic was caught in a storm inside Melbourne Park following his son's win over Andrey Rublev on Wednesday.

Djokovic defeated Tommy Paul 7-5 6-1 6-2 to reach his 10th Australian Open final and set up clash against Tsitsipas.

At 5-5, Djokovic steadied with a hold to love and from there tightened his game to draw the mistakes from Paul. He looked unbeatable by the end, once he loosened his wrists, but Djokovic was slow to warm up and the signs of an awkward opening set were clear from the early exchanges. From 5-5 in the first set, Djokovic tightened his game and returned to his steely best. It was his first career meeting with Djokovic, on what was his first grand slam semi-final, but he would have taken great encouragement from the early signs of irritation from Djokovic. After last year’s deportation and this year’s hamstring injury, it was another obstacle for Djokovic to face after his smooth progress past Alex De Minaur and Andrey Rublev in the previous rounds. A “crisis” midway through the first set was one of a few uncomfortable moments the 35-year-old has encountered on his return to Australia, the latest the emergence of a video of his father Srdjan posing with Vladimir Putin supporters on Wednesday night.

The Serbian will take on Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday in his 33rd grand slam final bidding to equal Rafael Nadal's record tally of 22 titles, while the winner ...

I actually think he’s one of the most interesting guys on tour with his interests off court, his hairstyle. “I respect him (Tsitsipas) a lot, he has improved a lot over the years. The 35-year-old had steam-rollered Alex De Minaur and Andrey Rublev in the previous two rounds but did not look settled from the start here, perhaps a legacy of the events of the past 24 hours after his father was filmed with Vladimir Putin supporters at Melbourne Park on Wednesday.

MIKE DICKSON: The nine-times champion, who will now have a chance to regain the world number one spot, described his parent as having been 'misused' by ...

Not causing a disturbance, he was allowed to remain until the end. ?Especially with the kind of things being chanted, said to the camera and the T-shirt which was being worn. That the crowd should have been vociferously rooting for a relatively obscure American as they did suggested that the whole episode of Wednesday has dented Djokovic’s standing. For all the maintaining of innocence it is a considerable stretch to claim that Srdjan could not have been aware of the sort of people he was consorting with. Unfortunately some of the media has interpreted that in a really wrong way.’ ‘My father has been going after every single match to meet with my fans at the main square here in Australian Open, to thank them for the support, pay them respect, and make photos.