(Provided by Tennis World USA)
The last episode of the Ukraina/Russia war issue was about two high-ranking players like Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka, who challenged each other in the quarterfinals of the Roland Garros 2023. The match saw the Belarusian tennis star triumph with a double 6-4, qualified for the first time in the semifinals of the Parisian Grand Slam, who immediately after scoring the match point went to the net for the usual handshake with the her opponent.
So, the cold climate continues between some Ukrainian and Russian/Belarusian tennis players. Episodes are now on the agenda in which the two sides of this metaphorical coin throw digs or actual accusations at each other, reflecting (with due proportions, of course) the hatred that unfortunately exists at the moment between Russia and Ukraine.
Sabalenka’s expectation that was completely disregarded by Svitolina, who went straight to her by totally ignoring her.
Non è arrivata la stretta di mano tra Svitolina e Sabalenka, con quest’ultima ferma a rete, l’ucraina tira dritto#EurosportTENNIS | #RolandGarros | #Sabalenka | #Svitolina pic.twitter.com/OivWjeUgwA — Eurosport IT (@Eurosport_IT) June 6, 2023
Svitolina: “I was clear, I don’t know what she expected”
Elina Svitolina said she had left no room for her interpretations: she would not have shaken Aryna Sabalenka’s hand at the end of their meeting, regardless of her outcome.
The reason? The refusal of the Belarusian to answer the repeated questions about the war received at the press conference during this Roland Garros. The attitude of some journalists annoyed Sabalenka so much that she asked the tournament management to hold closed press conferences, a request which was later accepted.
This is why Svitolina flatly refused to shake her hand when their game was over. “I don’t know what she honestly expected, because my statements about the handshake had been very clear. I expected the boos, they didn’t surprise me.
Did Sabalenka inflame the situation with her gesture? I think so, unfortunately,” said Svitolina to justify her gesture.
