The bitterness and acrimony from Russia's special military operation in Ukraine was clearly visible on the tennis court during US Open on Thursday when Ukrainian player Marta Kostyuk refused to shake her opponent Belarusian Victoria Azarenka's hands after her defeat.
Kostyuk, who has been outspoken in her belief that players from Russia and Belarus should be barred from the sport, had refused to shake hands after Azarenka defeated her 6-2 6-3 in the second round and opted for tapping rackets, New York Times reported.
In April, Kostyuk and several other players from Ukraine called for ruling organizations of tennis to ask players from Russia and Belarus if they supported the war and to denounce it if they did not. Without declarations against the war, Kostyuk and the other Ukrainian players said the players from Russia and Belarus should be barred from any international event.
"There comes a time when silence is betrayal, and that time is now," the statement from the players said.
Speaking with journalists at a news conference after the match, Kostyuk said that she had no interest in shaking the hands with those players who can't speak up against the brutality of the war, reported New York Times.
She also criticized players from Russia and Belarus for not reaching out to players from Ukraine. Several of them have not been able to go home since Russia invaded their country in February.
It was the second time in two weeks that Kostyuk went after Azarenka, who in years past made multiple appearances with President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus. Last week, Kostyuk pushed officials from the United States Tennis Association to prohibit Azarenka from participating in an exhibition to benefit relief efforts in Ukraine. On Thursday, she defended those actions, saying it would have been akin to having a German attend a benefit for European Jews during World War II.
Azarenka had planned to participate in the benefit until Kostyuk and other players from Ukraine protested, according to New York Times.
Shortly after Kostyuk held the conference, Azarenka defended her action and said that she had reached out to players from Ukraine but had sent the messages through intermediaries with the WTA Tour, which she helps run as a member of its Players' Council.
"I've had a very clear message from the beginning, that I'm here to try to help, which I have done a lot," Azarenka said. "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 needed transportation or whatever. That's what is important to me, to help people who are in need."
Azarenka said if Kostyuk wanted to speak with her, she was "open any time to listen, to try to understand, to sympathize." She added, "I believe that empathy at a moment like this is really important."
Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, which the West has termed an unwarranted war. As a result, the western countries have also imposed crippling sanctions on Moscow.
( With inputs from ANI )
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