The controversy that Novak Djokovic’s father starred in the Australian Open after posing with pro-Putin fans

Srdjan Djokovic, Novak’s father, showed up with pro-Russian fans after his son’s match

While Novak Djokovic is advancing at a steady pace with the desire to be crowned again at the Australian Open a year after the deportation that left him unable to participate in the 2022 edition, his father put the family name at the center of a controversy that opened the debates in the first Grand Slam of the season. Srdjan Djokovic posed with fans carrying pro-Russian symbols and Vladimir Putin flags.

Djokovic swept Andrey Rubley in straight sets to move into the Australian Open semifinals

The Serbian needed just over two hours to defeat his Russian counterpart 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. In the next round he will collide with the American Tommy Paul, surprise of the contest

The AFP Agency cited videos published by local media where Srdjan is seen together with fans with pro-Russian symbols, such as a flag of that country with the face of Vladimir Putin. The scene was allegedly recorded after the quarterfinal match between his son and Russian Andrey Rublev, during which pro-Moscow symbols were seen in the stands despite the fact that the tournament organizers have prohibited it.

According to local newspapers The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, the tennis player’s father says in Serbian “long live Russia.” The footage circulating on YouTube, which was replicated by the Australian media, has Srdjan next to a man who carries a Russian flag with Putin’s face and wears a black T-shirt with the letter “Z”, which has become a symbol of support for Putin. the invasion of Ukraine.

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In the video that went viral, it is shown that this man, according to The Telegraph, introduces the video speaking to the camera and says: “Brother Alexander Zalostanov, we send our greetings from Melbourne, Australia, to our brothers in Moscow.” This medium identifies this person as “the president of the Night Wolves, a motorcycle gang based in Moscow that has been described as ‘Putin’s Angels.'”

This newspaper also states that the audiovisual material was published on the channel of a pro-Russian activist who is under investigation by the Australian police for an alleged assault on a 76-year-old man at a rally for Ukraine in Sydney.

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These symbols seen in the stadium forced Tennis Australia to issue a general warning as representation of the organisation. “A small group of people displayed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards after a game on Wednesday night and were evicted. Players and their teams have been informed and reminded of the event policy regarding flags and symbols and to avoid any potentially disruptive situations. We continue to work closely with law enforcement and security agencies,” the statement replied to by the British Daily Mail.

The Australian Open had already banned this symbology at its facilities last week after the appearance of Russian flags during a first-round match between a player from that country and another Ukrainian. However, on Wednesday Australian police questioned four fans for displaying, after the match between Djokovic and Rublev, “inappropriate flags and symbols and for threatening security guards.”

Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said it was “a shame.” “It’s the whole package. Among the Serbian flags there are: a Russian flag, Putin, the symbol Z, the flag of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic. It’s a shame…” he wrote. The photographers even managed to capture a man in the stands who, during the duel between Novak and Rublev, wore a black T-shirt with a white “Z” that would refer to the symbol of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, players from Russia and Belarus, a Moscow ally, have competed under a neutral flag in most competitions, including the Australian Open.

With information from AP

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