Novak Djokovic’s father photographed Srdjan at the Australian Open to take pictures with Vladimir Putin’s supporters

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Serjan Djokovic (3rd left) is pictured with supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday evening Location: Melbourne Park Dates: 16-29 January Coverage: Commentary each day from 07:00 BST on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra ‘Tennis Breakfast’ Broadcast live from Melbourne, with selected live text commentary and match reports on the BBC Sport website and app

Novak Djokovic’s father, Serjan, was pictured taking pictures with supporters of Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Australian Open.

Serjan Djokovic was pictured with a man who was holding a Russian flag bearing Putin’s face, and wearing a T-shirt with the pro-war Z symbol printed on it.

Russian and Belarusian flags and symbols have been banned at Melbourne Park since the Russian flag was displayed during a match between Ukraine’s Kateryna Bindel and Russia’s Kamila Rakimova on opening day.

There was clear support for Putin after Djokovic’s quarter-final victory over Russia’s Andrey Rublev on Wednesday night.

A Russian flag bearing Putin’s image was displayed outside Rod Laver Arena by a group of fans dressed in Serbian colours. Chanting their support for Russia, some of them wrapped the flag of Serbia around their shoulders.

“A small group of people displaying inappropriate flags and symbols and threatening security guards following Wednesday night’s match have been evacuated,” Tennis Australia said in a statement.

“A beneficiary is now assisting the police with unrelated matters.

“Players and their teams have been informed and reminded of the event’s policy regarding flags and symbols and to avoid any situation that could disrupt it. We continue to work closely with event security agencies and law enforcement.”

In 2022, Russian and Belarusian players are banned from competing at Wimbledon due to the invasion of Ukraine.

Two Belarusians, Victoria Azarenka and Aryna Sabalenka, will compete in the women’s semi-finals on Thursday, who may meet in the final.

And on Friday, Russia’s Karen Khachanov plays in the men’s semi-final, though all three have to compete under a neutral flag.

Djokovic’s representatives have been contacted for comment.

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