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The duel between the Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk (20, WTA 39) and the Belarusian Arina Sabalenka (25, WTA 2) in the first round of the French Open caused tension. In view of the Russian offensive war in Ukraine, the two decided not to take the compulsory photo together before the game. After the match, Kostyuk refused to shake hands with her opponent – for which she was mercilessly jeered by the spectators.
Sabalenka, who left the field as the winner (6: 3, 6: 2), initially thought that the whistles were aimed at her. At the press conference that followed, she explained that she was confused by the situation: “I didn’t understand what was going on. It didn’t surprise me because we all know that Ukrainian players don’t shake hands with us. But the audience probably thought it was disrespectful of her.” She protects her opponent: “Marta didn’t deserve to leave the place like this.”
Viewers should be ashamed
Surprised by the whistle was Kostyuk himself, who was visibly charged after the match. “If people think about what they did there in ten years, when the war is over, they will not like it,” the world number 39 criticized the viewers who booed them. “I have no reaction to it, but people should be ashamed.”
She also has a lot of criticism of her opponent Sabalenka. When asked about the offensive war, she spoke out against the war leading up to the match, repeatedly emphasizing that she would end the war immediately if she could. “No one is for war, but this is not in our hands,” said the Australian Open winner.
“Ask them who will win the war”
For the 20-year-old Ukrainian, however, the explanations are anything but convincing. She could not respect Sabalenka’s attitude: “The war has been going on for about 15 months and you should ask her who should win this war. Because I’m not really sure that they would answer that Ukraine should win,” Kostyuk told the journalists present in Paris. Only then could the real attitude of the tennis professionals from Russia and Belarus be seen. (mbi)
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
