Djokovic’s father waves pro-Russian flags with Putin’s face at the Australian Open. Ukraine: “Shameful scene”

Caught by the cameras while waving pro-Russian flags with the fans Australian Open: the father of the Serbian tennis star did it Novak Djokovic. Ukraine’s ambassador in Canberra called the scene “shameful”. After Nole’s victory in the quarterfinals against the Russian Andrey Rubleva group of supporters unfurled Russian flags, including one with the face of the president Vladimir Putin, near Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, chanting pro-Russian slogans. The Australian Tennis Federation itself said four people “displayed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards” at Melbourne Park before being chased away by police. A video posted later on a pro-Russian Australian YouTube channel showed indeed Srdjan Djokovic, father of the player, posing with the man holding the flag with the face of Putin. In the caption of the video the sentence: “Novak Djokovic’s father makes a courageous political statement”.

The Ukrainian ambassador to Australia: “Shameful”

Serbian sports journalists took care of confirming the identity of the tennis player’s father, clearly visible from the images. According to the newspaper Melbourne Age, the man allegedly said in Serbian: “Long live Russia”. Spectators may not display Russian or Belarusian flags during the tournament. The Ukrainian ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, had called for action after several such flags were seen in the crowd last week. “Among the Serbian flags are: a Russian flag, Putin, the Z symbol, the so-called flag of the Donetsk People’s Republic,” she tweeted in recent days, attaching a link to the video. “He’s really disgraceful,” added the diplomat, referring to the Australian Tennis Federation and the organizers of the Open.