In a video which has sparked controversy, Tennis ace Novak Djokovic's father can be seen posing with fans holding Russian flags at the ongoing Australian Open 2023. Soon after the clip went viral on social media, Ukraine's ambassador has criticised the visuals calling it a "disgrace." The incident happened reportedly after the Serbian tennis star's straight sets win over Andrey Rublev to confirm a place in the semifinals at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on Wednesday.
At the conclusion of this match, a group of fans were seen unfurling the Russian flags near the stadium including one which featured Vladimir Putin's face on it. In addition, they were also caught chanting pro-Russian slogans at the tennis facility. In an official statement by Tennis Australia, it was confirmed that at least four people "revealed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards."
Eventually, police officials were summoned who helped the organisers move the miscreants out from Melbourne Park. However, when it seemed like the matter had settled a Pro-Russian Youtube Account from Australia shared a video where Djokovic's father Srdjan was caught posing with the man holding a Russian flag.
As per a report carried by Age Newspaper, Djokovic's father was chanting Pro-Russian slogans like: "Long Live Russia."
It is pertinent to note that Tennis Australia had banned Russian and Belarusian flags at the opening Grand Slam of the year after Ukraine's ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, demanded strict action be taken when they spotted in the crowd last week.
He has once again taken to Twitter and termed the latest incident a shameful one.
"It's a full package. Among the Serbian flags, there is: a Russian flag, Putin, Z-symbol, so-called Donetsk People's Republic flag," he tweeted.
"It's such a disgrace ... @TennisAustralia @AustralianOpen."
Earlier, athletes from Russia and Belarus were not allowed to participate in competitions like the Wimbledon and even from team events like the Davis Cup or the Billie Jean King Cup last year owing to an ongoing war in Ukraine where Russia invaded Ukranian territory with help from Belarus.