Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk refuses to shake palms with Belarusian Victoria Azarenka at US Open
The acrimony over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine solid its shadow on the US Open on Thursday evening when Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine refused to shake palms with Victoria Azarenka from Belarus. Kostyuk had misplaced in straight units they usually simply tapped their racquets however the response was pre-planned forward of the sport. She had even texted Azarenka that she wasn’t going to shake palms.
Kostyuk has been outspoken in her perception that Russian and Belaurusian gamers ought to be banned from the game. In April, Kostyuk led a group of gamers from Ukraine in demanding the tennis directors to ask gamers from Russia and Ukraine in the event that they supported the conflict and denounce it if they didn’t. If there was no denouncement, then Kostyuk and co. believed the gamers ought to be banned from worldwide occasions.
“There comes a time when silence is betrayal, and that time is now,” the assertion from the gamers mentioned then.
Azarenka defeats Kostyuk 6-2, 6-3. No handshake, only a racket faucet… pic.twitter.com/WogSSznz2t
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) September 1, 2022
On Thursday evening, Kostyuk defined her refusal to shake palms with Azarenka, who has made many appearances with Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko prior to now. She mentioned she had texted Azarenka forward of the sport although the 2 didn’t talk about it.
“It was my choice, I feel like I don’t know any single person who condemned the war publicly, and the actions of their government, so I don’t feel like I can support this. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a great competitor. But, it has nothing to do with her being a human being.”
Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, reacts after defeating Marta Kostyuk, of Ukraine, in the course of the second spherical of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Last week, Kostyuk had efficiently urged the United States Tennis Association to cease Azarenka from collaborating in an exhibition to learn reduction efforts in Ukraine.
“Imagine there is World War II and there is a fundraiser for Jewish people and a German player wants to play,” Kostyuk mentioned.
Azarenka couldn’t perceive the choice. “It’s a no-brainer for me, as why wouldn’t I participate in humanitarian aid for people who are really struggling right now,” she mentioned. “I thought that this was a gesture that really shows commitment. I’m not sure why it wasn’t taken that way.”
Shortly after Kostyuk spoke, Azarenka put forth her viewpoint in her press convention. She mentioned she had reached out by way of the WTA to have conversations with Ukrainian athletes prior to now few months however had been instructed to chorus.
“I’ve been told it’s not a good time,” she mentioned. “I’ve had a very clear message from the beginning, that I’m here to try to help, which I have done a lot. Maybe not something that people see. And that’s not what I do it for. I do it for people who are in need, juniors who need clothes, other people who need money or other people who need transportation or whatever. That’s what is important to me, to help people who are in need.”
Azarenka mentioned if Kostyuk needed to talk together with her, she was “open any time to listen, to try to understand, to sympathize,” including, “I believe that empathy in the moment like this is really important.”
The relations between the gamers from the warring nations have been tense for months. Poland’s Iga Swiatek, the world No.1 who has condemned the invasion and held her personal fund-raisers for Ukraine reduction efforts, mentioned on Thursday: “Right now, it’s kind of too late, I think, to fix that. Right now, it’s easy to say that maybe there was a lack of leadership, but at that time I didn’t know what to do either.”
