Russian star caused stir with camera message at Australian Open
Karen Khachanov is back at the Australian Open - a year after reaching the tournament's semi-finals and causing controversy with his camera celebrations.
Khachanov, 27, lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last four but overcame seeded players Frances Tiafoe, Sebastian Korda and Yoshihito Nishioka to reach that stage. After each of those victories, he signed the on-court television camera lens, as has become commonplace across the sport this century.
The Russian player wrote, "Stay strong, Artsakh," after beating Tiafoe, referring to the Republic of Artsakh, which was, at the time, a self-declared breakaway state also known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Before last year's tournament, the Azerbaijani government blockaded a humanitarian corridor connecting Artsakh to the outside world.
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The predominantly Armenian -populated territory was then internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Their blockading of the Lachin corridor began in December 2022, continuing into the New Year and January's Grand Slam.
Khachanov was born in Moscow but has Armenian heritage, as he clarified after beating Korda in the quarter-finals. “I have Armenian roots," he said. From my father's side, from my grandfather's side, and even from my mom's side. I'm half Armenian."
Regarding the messages, Khachanov explained: "I just wanted to show strength and support to my people. That's it.” But the Azerbaijan Tennis Federation (ATF) took umbrage with the displays.
A spectator waved an Armenian flag in the stands during Khachanov's quarter-final against KordaIn a letter of protest sent to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) after the third-round win over Tiafoe, they described it as a "provocation" from Khachanov against Azerbaijan, who "attracted attention with his hateful act" while acknowledging they were his "heartfelt words".
Their letter that "presented facts and legal documents" added: "The ATF condemned this act and demanded that the tennis player be punished and urged the International Tennis Federation to take harsh measures for prevention of such incidents in the future.”
Khachanov added to his previous "Stay strong, Artsakh" message: "Keep believing until the very end," after advancing again against Nishioka. He claimed afterwards to be unaware of the letter, replying when asked: “I didn't hear anything about that.” Khachanov said he had not been to stop writing the messages of support. “I mean, so far, no,” he confirmed.
But after the win over Korda, his message, "Don't forget your roots," was not shown during television coverage. Tennis Australia, the country's governing body, downplayed the snub, saying camera messages do not always get shown and insisting there was no reason behind it not being broadcast.
The Republic of Artsakh has ceased to exist in the 12 months since, officially dissolving on New Year's Day. That came four months after a large-scale military offensive by Azerbaijan in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
A day after it began, a Russian peacekeeping contingent mediated a ceasefire agreement that saw Artsakh surrender and disband its armed forces. Over 100,000 people, almost the entire population of the enclave, were said to have been forcibly displaced in the days and weeks after the offensive.
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