Wimbledon ace Svitolina refuses to sympathize with Azarenka as the Belarusian is booed off the pitch

Ukrainian Elina Svitolina had no sympathy for Victoria Azarenka after the 33-year-old was booed from Court One on Sunday night following their epic fourth-round match. The match between Svitolina and Azarenka was the first time a Ukrainian tennis player faced someone from Russia or Belarus.

Svitolina was one of the most outspoken players on the tour about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and she regularly refused to shake hands with Belarusians or Russian players. The 28-year-old was booed at Roland-Garros after incidents with Anna Blinkova, Daria Kasatkina and Aryna Sabalenka.

And Svitolina reiterated his intention not to shake hands with Azarenka before their fourth-round match on Sunday. That was before the pair embarked on a nearly three-hour epic on Court One as Svitolina reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam less than a year after giving birth to her first child. /p>
The crowd inside Court One erupted in delight as Svitolina won the match with an ace, the players not embracing at net, although Azarenka raised her hand in a congratulatory gesture. Then there was apparently some confusion from part of the crowd over what didn't happen at the net as Azarenka was roundly booed, who looked shocked and disappointed at the teasing.

An understandably frustrated Azarenka admitted in her post-match press conference that she thought few people understood what really happened. But Svitolina refused to offer his condolences for the way the Belarusian was treated in court.

When asked to comment on Azarenka being booed by the Wimbledon crowd, Svitolina replied, "Well, I had the same thing. I had the same thing in Paris. I I played three matches in Paris this way. Today too.

"For me personally, I think tennis organizations should declare that there will be no handshake between Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian players. I don't know if it's maybe not clear to people. Some people don't really know what's going on. So I think that's the right way to go."

Sports Jul 9, 2023 0 32 Add to Reading List

Wimbledon ace Svitolina refuses to sympathize with Azarenka as the Belarusian is booed off the pitch

Ukrainian Elina Svitolina had no sympathy for Victoria Azarenka after the 33-year-old was booed from Court One on Sunday night following their epic fourth-round match. The match between Svitolina and Azarenka was the first time a Ukrainian tennis player faced someone from Russia or Belarus.

Svitolina was one of the most outspoken players on the tour about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and she regularly refused to shake hands with Belarusians or Russian players. The 28-year-old was booed at Roland-Garros after incidents with Anna Blinkova, Daria Kasatkina and Aryna Sabalenka.

And Svitolina reiterated his intention not to shake hands with Azarenka before their fourth-round match on Sunday. That was before the pair embarked on a nearly three-hour epic on Court One as Svitolina reached the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam less than a year after giving birth to her first child. /p>

The crowd inside Court One erupted in delight as Svitolina won the match with an ace, the players not embracing at net, although Azarenka raised her hand in a congratulatory gesture. Then there was apparently some confusion from part of the crowd over what didn't happen at the net as Azarenka was roundly booed, who looked shocked and disappointed at the teasing.

An understandably frustrated Azarenka admitted in her post-match press conference that she thought few people understood what really happened. But Svitolina refused to offer his condolences for the way the Belarusian was treated in court.

When asked to comment on Azarenka being booed by the Wimbledon crowd, Svitolina replied, "Well, I had the same thing. I had the same thing in Paris. I I played three matches in Paris this way. Today too.

"For me personally, I think tennis organizations should declare that there will be no handshake between Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian players. I don't know if it's maybe not clear to people. Some people don't really know what's going on. So I think that's the right way to go."