Srdjan Djokovic, the father of tennis champion Novak Djokovic, was filmed saying “long live the Russians” in Serbian alongside fans who were brandishing banned Russian flags at the Australian Open on Wednesday night.
In a video published on YouTube after his son, a nine-time Australian Open champion, defeated Russian Andrey Rublev to reach the semi-finals, Srdjan Djokovic is seen with fans who are brandishing the country’s flags and chanting messages of support for Vladimir Putin.
A screenshot from the video in which Srdjan Djokovic can be heard saying “long live the Russians” in Serbian.
Russian flags and other items are items bearing the Russian or Belarusian insignias are banned items at Melbourne Park after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As the senior Djokovic walks off, another person can be heard in the video saying in Serbian: “Long live Russia”. The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald have had the comments translated to English.
Tennis Australia said it would continue to work with event security about enforcing rules of entry to Melbourne Park.
“Players and their teams have been briefed and reminded of the event policy regarding flags and symbols and to avoid any situation that has the potential to disrupt,” a spokesperson said.
“We continue to work closely with event security and law enforcement agencies.”
Russian fans attending the champion Serbian’s win straight sets win over Rublev were detained by police after allegedly threatening security.
A group of fans gathered on the stairs between two of Australia’s iconic tennis stadiums, and a member of that group carrying a flag bearing Putin’s image was among four men interviewed by police and evicted following the incident outside Rod Laver Arena.
Russian or Belarusian flags, or clothing with the “Z” symbol, were specified by tournament authorities as banned items under a crackdown after they caused offence in the early days of the grand slam.
Supporters have flouted the policy previously but the incidents on Wednesday night are the most serious breaches yet.
The TA spokesperson said: “A small group of people displayed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards following a match on Wednesday night and were evicted.
“One patron is now assisting police with unrelated matters.”
Tennis has taken steps to limit recognition of the two nations following the invasion of Ukraine in February, with players from the two countries banned from some leading events.
Wimbledon issued a blanket ban of Russian and Belarusian players, while the nations are prevented from competing in team competitions including the Davis Cup and the recent United Cup in Australia.
Other global sports have gone further by banning Belarusian and Russian athletes from all competitions.
There could be further attention on Russian and Belarusian athletes in Melbourne this weekend, as two players from Belarus, Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka, could play each other in the women’s final.
The Age and Sydney Morning Herald are seeking comment from representatives of Novak Djokovic and his family in Melbourne.
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