Djokovic 'hurt' by father's absence from his box during Australian Open final
ATP
The 2023 Australian Open wasn't an easy tournament for Novak Djokovic and his family, as they faced a number of challenges in Melbourne.
First, the now 22-time Grand Slam champion struggled with a left hamstring injury. Then, he was caught up in a water bottle controversy, and eventually, Djokovic's father, Srdjan, appeared in the pictures with fans, who were holding Russian flags.
Both have explained the incident since, but because of it, Srdjan Djokovic was not present at the Rod Laver Arena during his son's semi-final and also final match.
Djokovic won his 10th Australian Open title after he was able to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5), but he was still disappointed that his father couldn't witness him make history in Melbourne.
Only last year, Djokovic was deported from Australia, and this year, he faced another unfortunate challenge. Novak admitted that he agreed with his father Srdjan that it would be best if he wasn't present in the arena.
Even though he made the decision consciously, it still hurt Djokovic not to have his father in his box during the final two matches.
"We both agreed that it would probably be better that he's not there. That hurts him and me a lot because these are special, unique moments that who knows if they are repeated again."
Although it was challenging for the younger Djokovic not to be able to see his father during the match, it was also difficult for his father.
Srdjan was happy to see his son, but the 10-time Australian Open winner also sensed that his father was probably sad about missing the final.
"It was not easy for him. I saw him after the match and he was not feeling his best, let's say. He was happy to hug me, but I could see he was a bit sad. In the end we have a happy ending."
