"It's not about the flag" - Russia's Andrey Rublev reveals the reason two spectators holding Ukrainian flag bothered him at Australian Open 2023

Russia’s Andrey Rublev, who is currently contesting the 2023 Australian Open, was bothered by a couple of spectators during his second-round win against Emil Ruusuvuori on Thursday.

The two were holding a Ukrainian flag during Rublev’s match against Ruusuvuori, and while the Russian had no issue with the flag, it was the use of verbal obscenity by the duo that bothered him.

As the second set commenced, the World No. 6, who was visibly upset, had a word with the chair umpire and notified him about the verbal abuse.

After closing out the encounter 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3, in his favor, Andrey Rublev reiterated that he was aware of the tense global situation and was comfortable with any flag being put on display in his matches. At the same time, he made it clear that he was not uncomfortable with the slurs and insults thrown towards him.

"I said straightaway to the referee, it’s not about the flag, they can put any flag they want, I understand completely the situation," he said, as per AP News, "It was more that they started to tell me bad words and bad things. I said to the referee: ‘It’s not about the flag, but please can you tell them at least to not say bad words when I’m on the changeover.’"

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"The only platform I can see - to show how important it is to be kind" - Andrey Rublev on using tennis as a platform to promote peace and kindness

Andrey Rublev at 2023 Australian Open

The rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine have indirectly seeped into the world of sports, and Andrey Rublev has been one of the most vocal tennis players, pleading for Russian aggression in Ukraine to end. The 25-year-old has conveyed the message of peace in various ways while on tour.

Rublev recently spoke about using tennis as a platform to promote kindness and humility.

"The easiest way how I can make my statement, to show what I’m standing for, is the tennis court. It’s the only platform I can see to show how important it is to be kind, to be humble, to have a right education for a better generation, for a better world," he said.

Speaking about Wimbledon ostracizing him and his compatriots during the 2022 event, the former World No. 5 said that mixing sports with politics was not a good look, and reiterated that players were eager to co-operate with the organizations in ways that wouldn’t halt their careers.

"We had a meeting with the Grand Slams and the ATP. It’s really good that ATP is more open to help everyone. We were very honest, giving a lot of options, many ways to help. Really help. Because, if they ban us for the second year, we will see no changes and will be worst for tennis," he said.

"And it doesn’t help the situation. We are offering help in any direction that is possible. We want to show that tennis can be bigger than politics," he added.