Anthony Albanese enjoys a beer in the stands during Novak Djokovic’s win at the Australian Open

Anthony Albanese may be a self-confessed soccer enthusiast, but it seems he also enjoys a day at tennis.

A die-hard fan of the Sydney Rabbitohs and Sydney Swans, the Australian premier was in the crowd at Rod Laver Arena for the Australian Open semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Tommy Paul on Friday.

Over a pint, Albanese watched intently from the stands as Djokovic reached his fourth Australian Open final in five years after winning 7-5, 6-1, 6-2.

While Albanese was in the stands, Djokovic’s father was conspicuously absent following his controversial interaction with Vladimir Putin supporters on Wednesday.

Srdjan Djokovic was filmed with a man wearing a ‘Z’ shirt [denoting support for Russian armed forces] and behind a flag with the face of the Russian president.

However, he maintained that he simply wanted to thank Novak’s fans for their support. I am here only to support my son,’ he said in a statement on Friday.

I had no intention of causing such headlines or interruptions,

Over a pint, the Australian Prime Minister watched the Australian Open semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Tommy Paul.

Albanese is a self-confessed die-hard soccer fan, but he seemed to be having a good time on tennis.

The Australian Prime Minister was seen joking and laughing in the stands while watching the semi-final.

“I was outside with the Novak fans like I have after all my son’s games to celebrate their wins and take pictures with them. He had no intention of getting caught up in this.

When asked about the controversy, Albanese reiterated that Australia was “unequivocal” in its support for Ukraine in the war against Russia.

“I will stress this point, that Australia stands with the people of Ukraine,” he told a news conference.

“That is Australia’s position and Australia is unequivocal in its support for international rule of law and we do not want to see any support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine which is having a devastating impact on the people of Ukraine.”

Novak Djokovic’s father was spotted with a pro-Russia defender after their quarterfinal victory.

The ‘Z’ symbol is among a number of items banned at this year’s Australian Open.

The Australian Open has been hit with a security farce after the male spectator wearing an ultra-nationalist Russian jersey on Wednesday returned to Rod Laver Arena.

However, Ukraine’s ambassador, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, has called on Tennis Australia to ban Djokovic’s father from attending the final, should his son make it that far.

“It’s a shame and it’s very sad that the father of one of the most famous tennis players is supporting Russia,” he told Sky News Australia on Friday.

“I think he should be stripped of the accreditation to be on the court when his son plays and [Tennis Australia] You really need to address this problem.’

On Friday, it appeared the tennis fan brandishing Russia’s ultranationalist ‘Z’ war symbol returned to Rod Laver Arena in a major security faux pas for tournament organizers.

Djokovic appeared to taunt the crowd in Melbourne after being booed for winning the first set.

The 21-time Grand Slam winner also had an icy exchange with the chair umpire.

Djokovic, meanwhile, was involved in a couple of controversial moments on court on Friday, when he shared an icy exchange with the referee after being reprimanded for a shot clock violation and taunted the crowd at Rod Laver Arena.

Leading 5-1 in the first set, Djokovic fretted over a service clock violation when he went to get his towel.

Djokovic seemed to argue that the clock should start after he picked up his towel on court, since ball boys are no longer allowed to hand out towels to players.

“The ball boys can’t give me the towel, so tell me how it works,” he asks the referee, who explains the rules.

‘It’s the first time I’ve been in the towel in this game, and you start the clock before I touch the towel. Well done.’

Djokovic blew his lead as Paul won four games in a row, before finally rallying to take the first set 7-5 to a chorus of boos.

The 21-time Grand Slam winner was clearly unimpressed with the crowd’s reaction and appeared to taunt the onlookers by putting his finger behind his ear.