“This is the right example for adult athletes and those sports functionaries whose eyes are already popping out of their sockets in impulses to suppress their own athletes with various prohibitions,” TASS quotes Svishchev.
He emphasized that the Ukrainian tennis player showed “personal courage and bravery, correct manners and respect for her opponent.”
“The behavior of a very young athlete should be followed by adults, as well as functionaries involved in political intrigue,” added Svishchev.
Athletes from Ukraine refuse to welcome Russians and Belarusians to international competitions after the start of the SVO.
Mincheva and Kotlyar shook hands after the first round match of the Junior Australian Open.
The meeting ended with a score of 6:2, 6:4 in favor of the Russian.
Earlier, Father Kotlyar said that shaking Mincheva’s hand at the Australian Open was a mistake.