![]() "I'm here to try to help, which I have done a lot. "I'm not sure why it wasn't taken it that way."Īzarenka also said that she has had a clear message from the beginning of the war. "I thought that this was a gesture that really shows commitment," Azarenka said. Like, why wouldn't I participate in a humanitarian aid for people who are really struggling right now," she said. Regarding the Peace for Ukraine fundraiser event, Azarenka said she was asked to participate in it and immediately agreed to do it, as "it's a no-brainer for me. I believe that empathy in the moment like this is really important, which has, again, been my clear message in the beginning," she said. "I'm open to any time to listen, to try to understand, to sympathize. "I've been told it's not a good time," she said.Īzarenka added that she didn't have a close relationship with Kostyuk, and has never had a conversation with her, but has reached out to other Ukrainian players to listen and build relationships with them and would be willing to have a face-to-face with Kostyuk. Immediately following Kostyuk's news conference, Azarenka told reporters that she had reached out via the WTA to have conversations with Ukrainian athletes in the past few months. "Imagine there is World War II and there is a fundraiser for Jewish people and a German player wants to play," Kostyuk said of her decision following Thursday's match. Kostyuk said she refused to participate in the event as a result. Kostyuk said Azarenka responded that she was not on-site, and so they did not have the conversation.Īzarenka was removed from last week's USTA's Peace for Ukraine event - a humanitarian event to raise funds for Ukraine - after Kostyuk expressed her discomfort with Azarenka's participation in an interview with Ukrainian outlet BTU. Kostyuk also said she wanted to have a broader conversation with Azarenka on the war and hear her thoughts on where the Belarusian stood. Kostyuk also said she had texted Azarenka Wednesday after her practice session to "warn her" that she will not shake hands with her after the match today. Kostyuk said given Azarenka's reach both in Belarus and as a part of the WTA's Players' Council, she should use her voice to condemn the war. Kostyuk said that Azarenka has not reached out to her to have a conversation since the beginning of the war. Yastremska fled Ukraine with her younger sister days after the Russian invasion began in February.īelarus has been sanctioned by the United States for its "support" and "facilitation" of the invasion. But, it has nothing to do with her being a human being," Kostyuk added.Īfter the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., Ukrainian player Dayana Yastremska also refused to shake hands with Azarenka after the match. "Don't get me wrong, she's a great competitor. "It was my choice - I don't 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," she told ESPN. Kostyuk, who has been vocal about her unhappiness about Russian and Belarusian players' silence on the tour, said it was not appropriate to shake hands with Azarenka at the news conference after the match. Instead, she raised her racket for a quick tap. 1 Victoria Azarenka, Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with her Belarusian opponent. NEW YORK - After her straight-set loss to former World No. Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk refuses to shake hands with Victoria Azarenka over perceived silence regarding war “Because people who just say they don’t want war, it makes us (Ukraine) sound like we want war.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser “I haven’t changed about the war and everything that’s going on, on tour,” she told Reuters. ![]() ![]() The 20-year-old Kyiv native generated headlines last year when she refused the customary handshake at the net with former world number one Victoria Azarenka after the Belarusian beat her at the US Open.īelarus is being used as a key staging ground for Russia’s war in Ukraine, which Moscow terms a “special operation.”Īfter winning her first match at the Australian Open on Monday, upsetting 28th seeded American Amanda Anisimova, Kostyuk said she would snub handshakes with any Russian or Belarusian opponent who had not openly condemned the invasion. As Russian missiles continue to pound her country, Ukraine’s number two tennis player Marta Kostyuk says she will not shake hands with tour rivals from Russia and Belarus who she feels have not done enough to speak out against the invasion.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |