(Video) “Putin loves you as**ole”- Spectator at Vienna Open hurls insult at Karen Khachanov during final against Jack Draper
A spectator at the Vienna Open started to insult Russian-Armenian player Karen Khachanov during his final against Jack Draper.
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A spectator in Vienna insulted Karen Khachanov (Images via X)
Jack Draper locked horns with Karen Khachanov in the final of the Vienna Open on Sunday (October 28). Draper won it 6-4, 7-5 but during the match, a spectator started to insult Khachanov by chanting Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s name.
Khachanov was chasing his second consecutive ATP title after his Almaty Open victory where he defeated Gabriel Diallo in three sets. During his match against Draper, a spectator, as per a video that surfaced on social media, shouted, ‘Putin loves you as*h*le.”
Here’s the video:
Skandälchen beim Spiel Khachanov-Draper. Zwischenruf "Putin loves your a…ole". Das österreichische Publikum scheint auf der Seite Khachanovs zu sein. Der immerhin mal mittelmäßig mutig "no war" gepostet hatte. pic.twitter.com/VZjqdHf3TD
— Christian Rainer (@chr_rai) October 27, 2024
The incident probably happened because of a rumor about Khachanov’s support for Russia amidst the country’s war against Ukraine. Khachanov is a Russian-Armenian player and there were claims about him sharing a Russian military symbol, the ribbon of Saint George.
Ahead of the Paris Olympics, angry fans demanded a ban on the 28-year-old for violating the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) rules. The IOC did not allow athletes, who were supporting Russians or the Belarusians, to compete in its events. Khachanov however did not play at the Olympics.
Jack Draper is ready to shake up top players next year
Jack Draper is now 2-2 against Karen Khachanov in their head-to-head encounter but the win wasn’t easy for him despite him leading 4-0 during the set. Khachanov forced a comeback and won five games in a row but failed to capitalize on the momentum.
Draper has now won the biggest title of his career. In June this year, he lifted the Stuttgart Open, an ATP 250 event, with a three-set win over Matteo Berrettini. A confident Draper after the match said he was ready to beat top players Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner next year.
I’m really happy with the way I’ve progressed this year. I’ll focus on next week and then I’m going to look forward to having a bit of time off and probably not thinking about tennis. It has been a long year, and it has taken a lot out of me. And then I’ll refresh and I’ll go again for next year with even bigger motivation to really shake up those guys at the top of the game – the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz.
Jack Draper said after the match
Draper is 1-2 against Alacarz and 1-1 against the World No.1. The Brit reached his maiden Grand Slam semifinal at the US Open last month and his victory in Vienna will take him to a career-high ranking of 15th on Monday.
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Gouri Das
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