The father of one of the best tennis players in the history of Novak Djokovic, following his son’s match at the Australian Open, was photographed with fans who emotionally supported Russia. Moving away from the group of spectators, Srdjan Djokovic said: “Long live the Russians”
Photo: Novak Djokovic on the left, Srdjan Djokovic on the right (global look press)
Srdjan Djokovic, the father of 21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, was captured on video with fans bringing Russian and DPR flags to the Australian Open. The footage was published on the Aussie Cossack YouTube channel with 161,000 subscribers.
According to portals Daily Mail and Expressthe incident occurred following the match between Novak Djokovic and Russian Andrey Rublev, which ended with the Serbian’s victory in three sets.
The video footage shows that Djokovic Sr. was with a man in a T-shirt with the letter Z and the inscription “Where we are, there is Russia”, holding a Russian flag with a portrait of President Vladimir Putin in his hands. Departing from the group of spectators, Djokovic Sr. said in Serbian: “Long live the Russians.” Before that, one of the fans says hello to Alexander Zoldostanov. Toward the end of the video, another fan says hello to the Night Wolves. The leader of the Night Wolves bike club is Alexander Zaldostanov, nicknamed the Surgeon.
According to the Daily Mail, the organizers of the tournament appealed to the Serb’s team and family to refrain from political statements. The Guardian informsthat state police expelled four men Wednesday night from the tournament’s Melbourne Park complex because they chanted pro-Russian and pro-Putin slogans on the steps of the arena while waving numerous Russian flags, including one depicting the Russian president .
The Australian Open forbidden demonstration of the flags of Russia and Belarus, the organizers also banned symbols and flags associated with support for military operations in Ukraine.
