Australian Open Chief Tells Djokovic Family: 'Be Really Careful'

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 21, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic shakes hands with Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov after winning his third round match REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 21, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic shakes hands with Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov after winning his third round match REUTERS/Loren Elliott
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Australian Open Chief Tells Djokovic Family: 'Be Really Careful'

Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 21, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic shakes hands with Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov after winning his third round match REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 21, 2023 Serbia's Novak Djokovic shakes hands with Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov after winning his third round match REUTERS/Loren Elliott

Australian Open chief Craig Tiley on Saturday advised Novak Djokovic's family to be "really careful" of people using the tournament's global exposure as a platform for "disruptive" purposes.

It follows a video posted on a pro-Russian YouTube account showing Djokovic's father Srdjan posing in Melbourne Park with a fan holding a Russian flag that featured the face of Vladimir Putin.

It sparked a backlash from Ukraine and led to calls for Djokovic senior to be banned from the tournament.

He decided to skip his son's semi-final victory on Friday and it remains to be seen if he will be at Sunday's final.

Tiley told the Melbourne Age newspaper he had spent "a fair amount of time talking to the Djokovic family,” AFP reported.

"My advice is that you have to be really careful because if this is an event of global significance, it's a platform," he said he told them.

"When you have hundreds of thousands of people come through the gate, you're going to naturally have some people that are coming here with an intention to be disruptive, and don't get yourself caught in the middle of that.

"And they completely understand that," he added. "The family were very good. They were upset that it was taken that way. There was no intention of it.

"His dad particularly does not support war and they're very focused on supporting peace."

Serbian star Djokovic insisted after his semi-final win there had been a "misinterpretation" of the images and his father had "no intention whatsoever to support any war initiatives".

He said his father had been greeting fans outside Rod Laver Arena after every match and had been "misused" on Wednesday night.

Tiley said the Open had more than 1,000 accredited journalists and growing TV audiences and "it does become a platform and that's new for us. It never used to be like that".

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, Russian and Belarusian players have normally competed under a neutral white flag as independents, as is the case at the Australian Open.

Spectators have been banned from having Russian or Belarusian flags at the Grand Slam after Ukraine's ambassador to Australia and New Zealand demanded action when they were seen among the crowd early in the tournament.



Henderson Leads Ajax to Brink of Dutch Title

Ajax coach Francesco Farioli looks on during the Dutch Eredivisie match between AFC Ajax and Sparta Rotterdam in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 27 April 2025.  EPA/MAURICE VAN STEEN
Ajax coach Francesco Farioli looks on during the Dutch Eredivisie match between AFC Ajax and Sparta Rotterdam in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 27 April 2025. EPA/MAURICE VAN STEEN
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Henderson Leads Ajax to Brink of Dutch Title

Ajax coach Francesco Farioli looks on during the Dutch Eredivisie match between AFC Ajax and Sparta Rotterdam in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 27 April 2025.  EPA/MAURICE VAN STEEN
Ajax coach Francesco Farioli looks on during the Dutch Eredivisie match between AFC Ajax and Sparta Rotterdam in Amsterdam, Netherlands, 27 April 2025. EPA/MAURICE VAN STEEN

If Ajax Amsterdam hold on to their lead in the Dutch top flight and are crowned champions, then captain Jordan Henderson will enjoy a lion’s share of the plaudits for his role in returning the former European champions to the summit of the game in the Netherlands.
Ajax have overcome two miserable past seasons to sit four points clear of defending champions PSV Eindhoven with three rounds left in the Eredivisie campaign and are inching closer to the title, with veteran England international Henderson a major driving force.
Victory over NEC Nijmegen at home on Sunday and then away to FC Groningen next week would see Ajax to a record-extending 29th title.
The 34-year-old Henderson has had an outstanding season, skippering the club while at the same time winning a recall to the England squad.
"He's a player who, just by example, is able to lead the group and to move all the players in the right direction,” coach Francesco Farioli said earlier this year.
"He's a benchmark for everybody, especially the ones who are relying on work ethic and mentality," he told SkySports.
Henderson arrived at Ajax in February last year, not long after the club had been bottom of the table for the first time in their history and were looking for a player to provide leadership, both on and off the pitch.
But the former Liverpool captain's first months proved disappointing as he battled injury, and there was an earful of criticism of his performances, Reuters reported.
When Farioli took over as coach at the start of this season, Henderson was asked to fulfil a new role as defensive midfielder.
“It was something different that the coach wanted from my position, both with and without the ball. For me it was great that even at my age that I could learn something new,” Henderson told reporters at the time.
The switch has paid dividends, with Ajax boasting the best defensive statistics in the league with 27 goals conceded in 31 games, in stark contrast to the 2023/24 campaign, when they conceded 61 goals.
The England international's vast experience was also crucial in the encounters against Ajax's key rivals. “In the big matches, Henderson is vitally important for Ajax,” said television analyst and former Ajax star Rafael van der Vaart.
Younger teammates have spoken about Henderson's dedication to training and recovery and how he has helped instill a better work culture at the club.
His recall to the England squad in March was also a nod to his influence at Ajax, something that new manager Thomas Tuchel was well aware of.