WATCH: Notorious group holds up Russian flag with Vladimir Putin’s face and war symbol ‘Z’ chanting ‘Russia’ on the steps of the Rod Laver Arena

The group were subsequently questioned by the police about their actions

WATCH: Notorious group holds up Russian flag with Vladimir Putin’s face and war symbol ‘Z’ chanting ‘Russia’ on the steps of the Rod Laver Arena

The group chanting with a Russian flag with Putin's face

Anybody passing by the Rod Laver Arena must have had to do a double take upon seeing the spectacle at the steps of the famous stadium. A group of people with Russian flags bearing the image of President Vladimir Putin were gathered at the steps and were chanting ‘Russia.’ It was almost a party atmosphere at the venue for the Australian Open.

There is very surprising, considering that Russian and Belarusian flags are banned from the 2023 Australian Open. The picture of Putin on a flag was heavily criticized by people who took it as glorifying the invasion of Ukraine. The man holding that flag was also wearing a t-shirt bearing the pro-war Z symbol. Another man was spotted wearing the same t-shirt inside the stadium during the quarterfinal match.

YouTube video

This was a shock to organizers as it was the most significant violation of their flag policy this year. They have had to deal with many symbolism issues this year. Australian Open organizers banned Russian and Belarusian flags last week. This came after a rogue fan hung a Russian flag in the match between Ukraine’s Kateryna Baindl and Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova. They had already ruled before the tournament that players from Belarus and Russia would have to play as neutrals without flags or country recognition.

FS Video

The police are questioning four people after the incident. The Australian Open organizers, Tennis Australia, said, “Four people in the crowd leaving the stadium revealed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards.” The incident took place after the quarterfinals clash between Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Russian star Andrey Rublev. This also helps explain the presence of people draped in the Serbian flag in the video.

Related: Novak Djokovic fueled by his 2022 deportation hurt to win the 2023 Australian Open

Russian Andrey Rublev loses to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic at Australian Open

Russia’s Andrey Rublev lost to one of the best players to play the sport. The Australian Open quarterfinals clash between Rublev and Djokovic was dominated by the latter. He won the match 6-1,6-2,6-4.

With the match poised at 1-1 in the first set, Djokovic decided to speed up proceedings. He won the next five games to win the set 6-1. The next set went similarly. After getting to 2-2, Rublev was no match for the Serbian as he took the set 6-2. The final set was more back and forth, but once again, Djokovic was able to finish things off. His win takes him to the Australian Open semifinals.

In the semifinals, Djokovic faces American Tommy Paul. The two have never played each other before. Paul has been one of the stories of the tournament, providing giant killings on the regular. Djokovic hopes to avoid falling into that list. He is in the running to win his 10th Australian Open title.

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