Ukraine Beats Russia In Australian Open And Gets Its Flag Banned As Well

Taking cognizance of a complaint by the Ukraine ambassador to Australia, Tennis Australia banned the flags of Russia and Belarus at the ongoing Australian Open. Russian and Belarus players were already playing under a neutral flag but the audiences were allowed to bring the flags. But now there is a total ban on Russian and Belarus flags.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Tennis Australia bans Russian and Belarus flags onsite at the tournament
• Earlier fans were allowed to bring the flags but couldn’t display
• On Monday, a Russian flag was sighted by the Ukrainian ambassador to Australia

What Action Did The Ukrainian Ambassador Demand On Sighting A Russian Flag In The Australian Open?

Ukraine Beats Russia In Australian Open And Gets Its Flag Banned

Russian and Belarus tennis players competed under a neutral flag but fans were allowed to bring them with the condition that the flags won’t be used for disruption. But on Monday, Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia and New Zealand, Vasyl Myroshnychenko called on Tennis Australia and demanded strict action against Russia and Belarus after seeing the red, white, and blue stripes of Russia at an ongoing match between Ukraine’s Kateryna Baindl and Russia’s Kamilla Rakhimova on day one.

He demanded Tennis Australia enforce its ‘neutral flat policy’ with immediate effect. Last week he urged Tennis Australia to ban Russia and Belarus entirely. Belarus is – the latter for supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While Tennis Australia didn’t bar Russia and Belarus from the tournament, it barred their flags onsite.

Why Tennis Australia Didn’t Bar Russia And Belarus From The Tournament?

Last year Wimbledon barred Russian and Belarusian players but it stripped the tournament of its ranking points by tennis’s governing bodies.

What Happened

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Novak Djokovic Roared In The First Match After Australian Deportation

Novak Djokovic rekindled hopes of continuing his winning streak by kicking off his 2022 campaign on Monday in Dubai with a thumping 6-3, 6-3 victory over Italian teenager Lorenzo Musetti.

The 34-year-old Serbian world No. 1 displayed a fantastic game in the jam-packed Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium and received a huge response from the audiences that kept chanting Nole, Nole throughout the game. It was the first game for Novak after his deportation from Australia.

Highlights Of The Match:

• Novak Djokovic won the opening set in just 36 minutes
• A break of serve gave him the much-needed lead over Musetti
• Djokovic roared in anger to his team after losing four breakpoints
• But he comfortable scored the last 16 in 74 minutes

Novak Djokovic Roared

Why Was He Deported From Australia?

Novak Djokovic was deported for not being vaccinated against COVID-19 last month from Melbourne, Australia where he had hopes of winning a 10th Australian Open, and 21st Grand Slam. His visa was canceled and he was asked to leave the country. This dashed all his hopes of big winnings, but the recent win in Dubai rekindled his hopes of winning a sixth title in the Emirates. UAE allowed him to play because the COVID-19 vaccine isn’t a requirement to enter the country.

The 20-time champion will play with the winner of the first-round duel between … Read the rest