Craig Tiley flags Australian Open security warning

Fans will only be allowed to wave or display flags of the players competing at the Australian Open. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS)

Australian Open crowds have been put on notice by tournament director Craig Tiley, who says only the flags of the players competing will be permitted to fly at the tennis major.

Tiley on Saturday backed his security team to handle "the long list of potential things that could happen" at the season-opening grand slam, that begins next Sunday.

Tight security was implemented at Melbourne Park at last year's tournament, where Russian and Belarusian flags were prohibited at the venue because of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian Eagle banner and items of clothing with the Z symbol were also banned.

Some spectators were seen flouting Tennis Australia's ban on those national flags during the opening week of the tournament while eventual champion Novak Djokovic's father was filmed interacting with Vladimir Putin fans.

Srdjan Djokovic then stayed away from his son's semi-final and final matches so as not to be a distraction on the march to a 10th Open title.

At the time Tiley said he believed Srdjan Djokovic didn't realise he was posing with people carrying Russian flags while the player had urged his fans to be respectful during the decider against Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Women's champion Aryna Sabalenka, from Belarus, competed under a white flag and didn't have her country engraved on the winner's trophy alongside her name, as is customary.

Those flags remain banned from the venue at the 2024 event, Tiley on Saturday moving to reinforce the measures. 

"The players competing in the event, those flags are allowed to be displayed," he said.

"If a player from your nation is not competing, then those flags are not allowed to be displayed.

"That (banning Russian and Belarusian flags) was a decision made by the sports ministers of over 30 nations back then, on how the international players from Russia and Belarus would be competing internationally."

The tournament is the biggest sporting spectacle in the world held in January and the biggest annual sporting event in the southern hemisphere. 

"We go through the long list of potential things that could happen. It's scenario planning and we've trained for it.

"I have an incredible amount of confidence on how our security teams will manage anything." 

The first round will begin a day earlier than normal, a Sunday session allowing three days to complete the first round at a tournament now carrying $86.5 million in prize money. 

That's up 13 per cent on last year, with first-round losers set to earn $120,000 and singles winners $3.15 million, some $175,000 more than what Djokovic and Sabalenka brought home 12 months ago.

Meanwhile 2020 Open finalist Dominic Thiem, also a US Open winner in that year,  has been promoted from qualifying to the main draw after the withdrawal of American Reilly Opelka.

Austrian Thiem, now ranked No.98 in the world, showed glimpses of his best in a 7-5 6-1 loss to Rafael Nadal in Brisbane's first round.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store