The footage emerged as police removed four players from the Australian Open for displaying Russian flags.
Novak Djokovic’s father has been photographed posing with fans waving Russian flags at the Australian Open in what Ukraine’s ambassador says is “shameful”.
The ambassador’s comments on Thursday came just a day after the Serbian player nearly reached the semifinals of the tournament with a straight hit to Russian opponent Andrey Rublev at Rod Laver Arena.
After the match a group of fans unfurled Russian flags near the stadium, including one with the face of President Vladimir Putin, and chanted pro-Russian slogans.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the four had been kicked out of the competition for displaying “inappropriate flags and signs and threatening security”. The police were called and they were released from Melbourne Park.
“Players and their teams have been informed and reminded of the protocol for events involving flags and symbols and to avoid any potential disruption,” Tennis Australia said in a statement. “We continue to work closely with law enforcement agencies and security agencies.”
On January 17, the second day of the Australian Open, Russian and Belarusian flags were banned from Melbourne Park after being brought in by spectators the day before. In most cases, flags can be displayed during matches at Melbourne Park. But Tennis Australia has reversed the policy of the two countries involved in the conflict in Ukraine that began almost a year ago, saying the flags were causing confusion.
A video later posted to Australia’s Australian YouTube account showed Djokovic’s father Srdjan walking with a man holding a flag with Putin’s image.
He wrote: “Novak Djokovic’s father is boldly speaking politically.”
This is… very confusing for a #AusOpento say the least.
Srdjan Djokovic is seen with a pro-Putin rally last night outside the Rod Laver Arena.
The extent of the security breaches that allowed this to happen is staggering.
Article/video via @jamesgraysport: https://t.co/L4gtaKKNP6 pic.twitter.com/qnOx3MGYqB
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 26, 2023
Serbian tennis journalists confirmed that he was Djokovic’s father and the Melbourne Age reported that he said in Serbian: “Long live Russia.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said the flag raising was “shameful”.
“It’s a complete package. Among the flags of Serbia, there are: the flag of Russia, Putin, the Z-sign, which is called the flag of the Donetsk People’s Republic,” he wrote with a link to the video.
It’s a complete package. Among the Serbian flags, there are: Russian flag, Putin, Z-sign, so-called Donetsk People’s Republic flag. It’s a shame…@TennisAustralia @AustralianOpen https://t.co/wZontcEj
— Vasyl Myroshnychenko (@AmbVasyl) January 25, 2023
A man was photographed by the AFP news agency inside the stadium during Djokovic’s match with a T-shirt symbolizing the war “Z” – linked to support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Since Russia’s war in Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian players have often competed under the white flag as independents, as was the case at the Australian Open.
