Angry, trouble and entanglements: Wimbledon has a Russian problem

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It is the emotional highlight of the first week of Wimbledon. The round of 16 hit between Ukrainian Elina Switolina (28) and Belarusian Victoria Azarenka (33) on Sunday evening offers almost three hours of everything a tennis heart desires: speed, spectacle and a finish that sets the heartbeat in the stands and in front of the TV.

After that, there is no handshake – Switolina refuses this gesture to Russian and Belarusian opponents because of the offensive war of Russia and its ally Belarus in their homeland.

Azarenka with accusations of alcohol to the public

From Azarenka, people wave respectfully towards Svitolina. But when the number 20 in the world wants to leave runway 1, it suddenly rains boos from the rows at the address of the Belarusian. She responds by shaking her head and making a strange fist gesture – an unworthy end to a great evening. The scandal is perfect.

It seems that some of the public believes that Azarenka refused to shake hands. “I’m not sure how many people understood what’s going on,” Azarenka said at the press conference. “There were probably a lot of Pimms involved.” The gin-based liqueur is the traditional drink at the London branch, with more than 250,000 glasses drunk each year during the tournament. “I thought it was a great game. If people just focus on the handshake or the crowd, the pretty drunk crowd that booed me, it’s a shame.”

The Wimbledon crowd is considered respectful

But is it really that simple? From time to time there may be complaints from actors about the behavior of individual viewers – for example, Nick Kyrgios complained in the 2022 finale about a “totally drunk” woman who constantly harassed him. But again this year, the Wimbledon crowd is considered cultured and respectful.

Switolina hints at a more likely explanation after the match. “After the birth of my daughter, this is the second happiest moment of my life,” she says with tears in her eyes. Of course, she is currently playing for her war-torn compatriots. “When I play against Russians or Belarusians, I feel more pressure. I have to win. That’s why it means so much. In my own way I can give Ukraine such a win, a small one.”

Switolina plays for an entire country

Switolina checks the news every morning for updates on the war. If the fighting in her homeland was particularly tough, she sometimes postpones training. The sense of playing for more than just herself and her little family – Switolina and her husband Gaël Monfils (36) only became parents last October – seems to inspire her.

It is not surprising that as a Ukrainian she has sympathy on her side at Wimbledon. A year ago, Russian and Belarusian players were banned from South London. Gritting their teeth, the tournament bosses allowed their comeback this year under pressure from the ATP and WTA. An absurdity for the British public, at least for Ukrainian tennis professionals.

Rublev and Khachanov disagree

But the Russians are also divided. There is an anecdote from Karen Khachanov (ATP 11), who in the spring of 2022 allegedly had a fight with his compatriot Andrey Rublew (25) because he wrote ‘No War Please’ on the lens of a television camera – which by Russian standards was almost can be interpreted as head-on criticism of the ruler Vladimir Putin.

At the same time, it seems obvious that of the 18 individual participants who took part in Wimbledon this year, some have close ties to the Russian state.

Connections in high political circles

For example, Veronika Kudermetowa (26) is sponsored by Tatneft. According to “Politico”, the oil company is directly supporting Putin’s war by supplying his army with fuel and tires. A subsidiary has been placed on the sanctions list by the EU. CEO Rustam Minnichanov has publicly bragged about the partnership.

And the butcher group Wagner led by Sergei Prigoschin, which recently attracted attention due to its failed mutiny, which has been doing Putin’s dirty work for years, also appears in the Russian tennis clique: the father of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (32) supports a junior tennis tournament in March honored a Prigozhin mercenary who died in battle. Mixed Olympic champion Pavlyuchenkova was honored last summer by Russia’s sports minister, in the presence of tennis boss Vladimir Lazarev, who organizes “Z tournaments” in Russia.

So it’s complicated. And it stays that way – also at Wimbledon. In the quarterfinals, Switolina now meets the Pole Iga Swiatek (WTA 1), who has publicly positioned himself for the Ukrainians. If she overcomes this hurdle, a conflict-laden duel at the highest level is imminent: In the final, she could meet the Belarusian Iryna Sabalenka. In this case, the sympathies must again be clearly divided. Poke it or not.

Source : Blick