During his second-round match at the Australian Open on Thursday, Andrey Rublev voiced his concerns to the umpire about spectators holding a Ukrainian flag, who were reportedly using offensive language towards him.
Rublev, who was competing against Finland’s Emil Ruusuvuori on the Show Court Arena, observed two fans near his seat displaying the Ukrainian flag. However, Rublev clarified that his issue was not with the flag itself.
“It wasn’t about the flag,” said the No. 5 seed after his four-set victory. “I told the referee immediately that it’s not about the flag; they can wave any flag they want. I fully understand the situation.”
Rublev’s concern was that the fans were using inappropriate language. “I told the referee that it’s not about the flag, but could they at least ask them not to use bad language during my changeovers,” he explained.
Rublev has previously voiced his opposition to the war in Ukraine, making public statements for peace. He wrote “no war, please” on a camera following his win at the Dubai Tennis Championship semifinal in February and added “Peace, Peace, Peace, All we need” after a match at the ATP Finals in November.
In response to the ongoing conflict, Russian and Belarusian players have been allowed to participate in the Australian Open, but they must do so without national flags or country recognition.
Tennis Australia announced a new policy on Tuesday banning the display of Russian or Belarusian flags at the tournament. This decision followed condemnation from Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, who criticized the presence of Russian flags in the stands.
The Russian flag was previously seen during the first-round match between Ukraine’s Kateryna Baindl and Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova, and was also visible in the stands during the first-round match between Daniil Medvedev and American Marcos Giron. Rublev is set to face No. 25 seed Dan Evans in his next match on Saturday.