Russian and Belarusian athletes compete in the Australian Open under a neutral banner.
They should also no longer see their nation's flag appear in the Melbourne Park complex.
Tennis Australia on Tuesday banned Russian and Belarusian flags from the first Grand Slam of the year, granting Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko's request for action after they were spotted in the crowd .
“Our initial policy was that fans could bring them but could not use them to cause disruption,” the Australian federation said in a statement.
The Russian banner was seen on Monday during the match between Ukrainian Kateryna Baindl and Russian player Kamilla Rakhimova.
In the stands, Ukrainian supporters then called on the security services and the police to react.
That was earlier today, on court 14, Ukrainian Kateryna Baindl played against Kamilla Rakhimova @AustralianOpen @TennisAustralia pic.twitter.com/0ABIgfe288
— Ukrainian Tennis • BTU (@ukrtennis_eng) January 16, 2023
"I strongly condemn the public display of Russian flags during Ukrainian tennis player Kateryna Baindl's match at the Australian Open," the Ukrainian ambassador lambasted on Twitter, before calling on Tennis Australia to uphold the "
neutral flag
policy
”.
Myroshnychenko had urged the Australian Open last week to completely ban Russian and Belarusian players as Wimbledon did last year, which is therefore not the case since they have been allowed to participate, to like Daniil Medvedev, finalist last year.
But in the official table of the first Grand Slam of the season, a white square is attached to the names of Russian and Belarusian players.
Deprived of the British Major last year, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka said she had no objection to the flag ban "if everyone feels better that way".
The world number 5 nevertheless felt that sport was not “politics”.
