The situation with the refusal of Ukrainian tennis players from any contacts with Russian and Belarusian colleagues has reached a new stage. Elina Svitolina after the quarterfinal match of the women's singles "Roland Garros", according to the already established tradition, did not shake hands with Aryna Sabalenka, and later also accused her of wanting to artificially aggravate the situation in the stands.
The fact is that the second racket of the world, having won, stopped at the net with the intention of thanking her opponent for the game. At the same time, she showed the Ukrainian thumbs up - just like Daria Kasatkina did a few days earlier. Then Svitolina at a press conference even thanked the Russian woman for this gesture, although she did not respond to it in any way.
This time, the Ukrainian defiantly turned away from the court and went to her bench. The spectators gathered in the stands of Philippe Chatrier immediately booed her for this. The same reaction of the stands was previously awarded to Marta Kostyuk, who also did not shake hands with Sabalenka after the first round match.
After the game, Svitolina said that she was not surprised by the whistle of the fans, and also expressed bewilderment at the fact that Arina was waiting for her at the net.
"My first reaction was something like, 'What are you doing?' because in all my press conferences, I talk about a clear position. So I don't know, maybe it's not on social media during tournaments, but it's understandable. I have repeatedly stated that I do not shake hands, besides, she played with Martha in the first round. The whistle from the stands was quite expected. I think that whoever loses in this situation will be booed. This did not come as a surprise to me. Unfortunately, I think that Sabalenka heated up the situation, standing at the net," Svitolina told reporters.
She also suggested that a good way out of the situation would be to order the organizers for Russian and Belarusian athletes not to expect handshakes.
"It would be ideal if they did that. I've already thought about it. I must tell them that it will be easier for everyone, "said the former third racket of the world.
Sabalenka, in turn, said that she was not going to provoke anyone, and went to the net instinctively, as she does it after each game. At the same time, in her opinion, the Ukrainian did not deserve to be booed, no matter what.
"I have a lot of respect for what she does after the baby is born. I am very impressed," the Belarusian tennis player emphasized.
She also explained why she twice refused to hold press conferences at Roland Garros. According to Arina, she felt disrespectful to herself, over and over again receiving questions on political topics, and wanted to get rid of unnecessary tension. At the Grand Slam tournament, there is already enough pressure and difficulties, Sabalenka stressed.
Most Ukrainian tennis players have refused to shake hands with representatives of Russia and Belarus since the spring of last year, but until that moment their ignoring tennis fair play did not bring any special problems. The same Sabalenka, before meeting with Marta Kostyuk in Paris, emphasized that she was philosophical about the situation, since she could not influence it in any way.
"If she hates me, okay, there's nothing I can do about it," Arina said.
However, it was at Roland Garros that viewers began to show active dissatisfaction with the players' retreat from tradition. So, even Kasatkina received a whistle in her address, when, instead of trying to shake hands with Svitolina, she simply showed her a thumbs-up. The Russian woman did not expect this and was very upset.
"I leave Paris with a very bitter feeling. All these days after each match, I appreciated the support of the fans and thanked them for it and for being there for the players. But yesterday I was booed for respecting my opponent's choice not to shake my hand. Elina and I showed respect for each other after a tough match, but leaving the court on that note was the worst moment of yesterday. Be better, love each other. Don't spread hate. Try to make this world a better place," Daria wrote on the social network after the game.
At the same time, the organizers of the French Open, as well as the leadership of the WTA, do not comment on what is happening and do not interfere yet. Meanwhile, they should think about how to minimize the number of political demarches at competitions, because they divert attention directly from tennis and annoy the audience. The reaction of the French public is the best confirmation of this.