(Melbourne) The father of Serbian Novak Djokovic was filmed with supporters waving pro-Russian flags during the Australian Open, scenes described as “shameful” by the Ukrainian ambassador in Canberra.
After Novak Djokovic’s quarter-final match won Wednesday night against Russia’s Andrey Rublev, a group of supporters unfurled Russian flags, including one bearing the face of President Vladimir Putin, near the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, while chanting pro-Russian slogans.
The Australian Tennis Federation said four people “displayed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards” at Melbourne Park before being chased away by police.
A video later posted on a pro-Russian Australian YouTube channel showed Srdjan Djokovic, the player’s father, posing with the man waving the flag with Putin’s face. All with the caption: “Novak Djokovic’s father makes a bold political statement”.
Serbian sports journalists have confirmed that it was indeed Djokovic father.
Spectators are banned from Russian or Belarusian flags during the tournament. Ukraine’s Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, had demanded action be taken after several of these flags were seen in crowds last week.
“It’s a complete catalog. Among the Serbian flags are: a Russian flag, Putin, the Z symbol, the so-called flag of the Donetsk People’s Republic,” he tweeted Thursday with a link to the video. “It’s really shameful,” he said indignantly to the attention of the Australian Federation and the tournament organizers.
Another spectator was photographed by AFP inside the stadium during Djokovic’s game wearing a T-shirt bearing the ‘Z’ symbol, a pro-war symbol associated with support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine .
Before the Djokovic-Rublev match, Simeon Boikov, who hosts the YouTube channel that posted the video featuring the Serbian champion’s father, called on Russian fans to come to Melbourne Park, the venue that hosts the Australian Open , in protest against the flag ban.
Since the beginning of the conflict, Russian and Belarusian tennis players generally participate in competitions under a neutral flag and as independents.
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
January 25 Ukraine Elina Svitolina won against Mirra Andreeva In the 1/8 final at the Australian Open.
Elina won in two sets with scores of 6:2 and 6:4 in 1 hour 24 minutes. Svitolina faced Andreeva for the second time and defeated the Russian for the first time.
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Elina will compete against world number three Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
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January 25, Australian Open 2026 Ukrainian youth started.
In the main draws of the competition, Ukraine is represented by one tennis player and three tennis players: Nikita Belozertsev, Antonina Sushkova, Sofia Belinskaya and Polina Sklyar.
All four Ukrainian teenagers won their starting matches and advanced to the 1/16 final.
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina She held a press conference after defeating Mirra Andreeva in the 1/8 final of the Australian Open 2026:
– Elina, congratulations on reaching the quarter-finals here for the fourth time. What does it feel like?
– Yeah, that’s great. Another chance to play in the semi-finals. But I am very happy with the match, and I am also very happy with my performance today. I think I implemented the plan well. I am very pleased with the result.
– Your next opponent will be Coco. If we talk about the preparations for this match in terms of temperature, I believe that the conditions will be similar to yesterday, at the same temperature. I know you don’t know when and where you’ll play yet. How do you prepare for conditions where temperatures will be very high?
– I didn’t actually think about it. I tried to prepare for today’s match. Someone told me a few days ago that it would be hot on Tuesday. So I’ll have to prepare. I think the preparations will start tomorrow with fluid intake and trying to stay calm. I think it’s important to prepare as much as you can, but we’ll both be in the same conditions. It is important to use tomorrow just to rest and prepare for this intense heat.
– You had incredible matches with Coco. What are your expectations and what do you need to do to reach your target semi-final?
– I need to discuss the plan with the coach and understand how to implement it. We had difficult matches, the last two I think were in three sets. We made the final in Auckland and the US Open a few years ago. We know each other’s game well. It is important to work on some points tomorrow, meet with the coach and be prepared for extreme heat. We will play not only against each other, but also against the conditions in which we will have to play in the heat.
– Is it more convenient for you to play in the daylight or under the roof?
– Of course, it’s better to play later. But I don’t decide the program. Maybe one match will be in the afternoon and the other in the evening. In the evening the weather is more pleasant, although the ball will still fly faster due to the heat, but in general everything will be fine.
– Considering the previous three quarter-finals, what does it mean to you to reach the semi-finals?
“Of course it means a lot to me, but I don’t want to think about it too much.” This is another opportunity to go far in the tournament. I want to focus on recovery and the game plan I need to execute well. These are my priorities now. If everything goes well, we will have a chance to win the next match.
– What gives you the confidence that you can take your game a step or two further?
– We did our pre-season preparations well. We worked on a lot of things on tactical issues. It was important to analyze what went well in 2025 and understand what could be improved and how. We worked with statistics, looked at where I could improve my serving, receiving and other aspects of the game. It opened my eyes to some things that I continue to work on. Everything is going well but the year is long, we have to keep going. The main priority is to stay in shape.
We made our pre-season preparations well. We worked on a few things. We worked on many tactical issues. It was important for me in 2025 to analyze what I did well and try to find where and how I could improve; We noticed a few tactical points. We worked with statistics to understand where I could improve my serving, receiving and overall game. It’s really opened my eyes to some things and I’m trying to work on them. I think it’s working so far but it’s been a long year so I need to keep going. I think the priority is still to stay fit.
– In your match against Mirra today, you won 15 of 20 points on her second serve – 75%. Was this planned? How much did that help you win in straight sets?
“It was important for me to apply pressure. Because if I let him get ahead in the rally, he can hit the ball very well to score points. He knows how to win matches, how to win tournaments. So for me it was important to try to take the initiative first and find a way to win because he is a very cunning tennis player. He changes the tempo, the length of the strokes. So you have to adapt very quickly and make split-second decisions to go to the ball or direct the ball to the right place.”
– Today Alexandra Oleynikova again commented on the situation with the war and stated that she was not happy that Arina Sabalenka had large advertising contracts. Do you have any thoughts about Russian and Belarusian players, their sponsorship deals and participation in Tours?
“I really have nothing to say about this.” I don’t know exactly what you said, so I don’t know.
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
Elina Svitolina [12] – 🏳️ Mirra Andreeva [8] – 6:2, 6:4
