A video has surfaced of Novak Djokovic’s father during a pro-Russian demonstration at the Australian Open tennis.
Srdjan Djokovic stands next to a man holding a flag printed with the image of Vladimir Putin.
The man with the beard is wearing a T-shirt with the pro-war Z symbol on it.
Mr. Djokovic makes a short remark to him. That comment, according to the caption to the video, reads: “Long live the Russians.”
The footage was posted to YouTube by Simeon Boikov – who is reportedly a Putin supporter – using the handle Aussie Cossack.
Following Novak Djokovic’s quarter-final victory over Russia’s Andrey Rublev, a group gathered on a few steps outside the tournament’s main venue, the Rod Laver Arena, holding Russian flags and chanting “Serbia, Russia”.
One of them turned out to be the same man Djokovic was pictured next to, holding the Putin flag.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Australia Vasyl Myroshnychenko called the protest a “disgrace”.
He tweeted: “It’s a full package. Among the Serbian flags there is: a Russian flag, Putin, Z symbol, the so-called flag of the Donetsk People’s Republic. It’s such a shame…”
Former Ukrainian tennis player Alex Dolgopolov, who serves in the Ukrainian military, tweeted that the scenes were “absolutely disgusting.”
A man holding a Vladimir Putin flag at the Australian Open. Photo: Aussie Kozak
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Four people have been questioned by police and evicted from Melbourne grounds for “inappropriate flags and symbols” and threatening security guards, Tennis Australia said on Wednesday.
It added on Thursday that one of them was “now assisting police with unrelated matters”.
Last week, Russian and Belarusian flags were banned for the rest of the grand slam tournament after a flag was displayed at a match between Russian and Ukrainian players.
Players and their teams have been reminded of the tournament policy, according to Tennis Australia.
“Players and their teams have been informed and reminded of the event policy regarding flags and symbols and to avoid any situation that could potentially disrupt,” the statement said.
“We continue to work closely with event security and law enforcement agencies.”
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