It is "
very upsetting
" to see Novak Djokovic's father alongside supporters waving pro-Russian flags, Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk said Friday at the Australian Open.
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"
It doesn't matter who you are, nobody has the right
" to wave those flags, said Kostyuk, 20, who was speaking after losing the women's doubles semi-final at Melbourne Park, where Russian and Belarusian flags are prohibited.
“
Things like this cannot stay in the shadows
,” she insisted.
"
It's very upsetting
."
On Wednesday evening, a group of Russian fans defied the ban at Melbourne Park, even chanting pro-Russian and pro-Putin slogans.
Srdjan Djokovic, Novak's father, was filmed outside the stadium on Thursday with a man holding a Russian flag with President Vladimir Putin's face on it, according to a video posted on an Australian pro YouTube account. -Russian.
The man was dressed in a t-shirt bearing the pro-war Russian symbol "
Z
".
The young player was hesitant to comment further on the Djokovics, fearing a backlash from the tennis star's fans.
“
No matter what I say, I will be hated for the rest of my life, especially by very aggressive Novak fans
,” she said.
"
I know it and I have experienced it in the past
."
As a Ukrainian, Kostyuk said she was surprised and hurt to see Russian flags in the stands despite the ban in place.
"
I don't know, I don't understand, it really hurts and I don't understand how it can be possible
," she said, stressing once again "
that it was forbidden
" to wave these flags.
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