Furious tennis fans want a spectator banned from the Australian Open for making an insulting gesture during Novak Djokovic’s first round match against teenage rival Dino Prizmic.
Djokovic’s opening round match was played over a grueling four hours, as the Croatian wildcard won the second set 7-6 and pushed the Serbian all the way to the front before suffering a four-set defeat.
Djokovic then praised his opponent and led him to the center of the court to appreciate the ovation from the Rod Laver Arena crowd.
However, some fans watching at home were outraged by a gesture from a fan seemingly supporting the young Croatian player.
The man makes a ‘bras d’honneur’ gesture, raising his fist and tucking the other arm into the crook of his elbow.
Novak Djokovic started his campaign with an awkward 6-2 6-7 6-3 6-4 win over hugely impressive Croatian teenager Dino Prizmic – and there was drama in the crowd
The sign is roughly translated as ‘yours’ in many parts of the world, but has a deeper meaning in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, where it is known as bosanski grb (‘Bosnian coat of arms’), after Bosnia’s territorial coat of arms. .
The weapon shows a red, armored arm holding a sword with the elbow bent at approximately 90 degrees.
Djokovic had just lost the second set in a tiebreak when the spectator made the attacking gesture.
‘Hey @AustraliaOpen – will this behavior be tolerated?’ wrote a fan on X after seeing footage of the fan.
“@AustralianOpen do the right thing and ban this person from ever setting foot on your property again,” another replied.
“A terrorist in disguise,” wrote a third.
“An insane level of hatred. Is this a tennis fan @AustralianOpen?,” said another.
Tensions over the fierce and long-standing rivalry between Serbia and Croatia have already surfaced earlier during the tournament.
In 2007, dozens of Serbian and Croatian fans were evicted from the venue Australian Open on opening day because he was involved in a huge brawl in the hall.
Last year, Open guards were called racist when someone allegedly tried to take the Serbian flag from a group of supporters after mistaking it for the Russian national symbol, which was not allowed to be displayed at the time.
A Djokovic fan was also spotted waving a fascist symbol during the world’s No. 1 men’s singles final against Stefanos Tsitsipas last year.
Djokovic was very complementary to his opponent after the match and believes Prizmic has a very bright future ahead of him.
“He deserves every applause and every honor he got tonight,” he said. ‘He’s a great player, I must say, so mature for his age. He behaved so well on the field.
The coat of arms of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the photo resembles the way the offensive gesture is performed
After the match, Djokovic was full of praise for his young opponent
The Serbian superstar believes Prizmic has a very bright future ahead of him
‘This is his moment. He fought, he showed great mentality and resilience, he definitely gave me a run for my money tonight.
‘To be honest, I have a lot of praise for him, a lot of compliments for him, I love the way he uses every inch of the pitch, he defends incredibly well.
‘Great achievement for someone who is 18 years old, big kudos to him and his team, his family and I definitely want to be in his corner if he invites me because we will see big things from him in the future.’
Prizmic, born six months after Djokovic made his Grand Slam debut in January 2005, offered the 24-time Grand Slam winner a reality check as he enjoys the twilight of his career.
“If you think about it, I’m double his age, wow, reality is hitting you hard tonight.
“I struggled in a lot of different moments tonight, but it’s thanks to him for his incredible game plan.
‘I’ve had good moments, at times I wish I could have played better.’
