Belarusian tennis player booed at Wimbledon after losing to Ukrainian (2024)
LONDON — A Belarusian tennis star was jeered as she walked off court Sunday night without shaking hands with her Ukrainian opponent.
Victoria Azarenka, ranked 20th in the world and a two-time grand slam winner, was beaten at Wimbledon in three sets by Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, who has vowed not to shake hands with any Russian or Belarusian players.
After the pair's fiercely competitive fourth round match ended on Court No. 1 on Sunday evening, the victorious Svitolina waved to the crowd — which then began to boo Azarenka.
Appearing bemused, Azarenka shook her head and gestured to the crowd by tapping her wrists together as she walked off.
By a longstanding tradition, players shake hands over the net after every match.
Russian and Belarusian players were allowed back at Wimbledon this year, providing they don’t express support for Russia’s military action, after the All England Club banned them in 2022.
Svitolina, 28, told reporters after the match that the crowd may have been expecting the players to shake hands and suggested that the organizers of Wimbledon make an announcement saying handshakes won't be happening when Russian or Belarusian players face Ukrainians.
"Each player that loses and there's no handshake is getting booed, I feel," Svitolina said. "I already said multiple times that until Russian troops are out of Ukraine and we take back our territories, I'm not going to shake hands. I don't know how more clear I can be."
Azarenka 33, has been one of the biggest stars in women's tennis for more than 10 years. She twice won the Australian Open, in 2012 and 2013, and was ranked No. 1 in the world. She reached the final of the U.S. Open three times, losing to Serena Williams in 2012 and 2013, and to Naomi Osaka in 2020.
Svitolina, who gave birth in October, qualified via wild card. She next faces tournament favorite Iga Swiatek of Poland in the quarter final.
The International Olympic Committee said in March that Russian and Belarusian athletes could start to return to some events under a neutral banner.
FIFA, which runs the soccer World Cup and acts as a global governing body for the game, banned Russia and Russian clubs from competing in Qatar 2022 days after the Ukraine invasion began in February of that year.
CORRECTION (July 10, 2023, 1:38 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated who Victoria Azarenka lost to at the 2020 U.S. Open Final. She was beaten by Naomi Osaka, not Coco Gauff.
Belarusian Victoria Azarenka was booed off by the crowd inside Court 1 at Wimbledon because she did not shake hands with her opponent Elina Svitolina. Svitolina, who is Ukrainian, has previously refused to shake hands with any Russian or Belarusian players since the nations launched an invasion on Ukraine last year.
At the end of a lengthy opening game on her serve against Noskova, Svitolina felt sharp, shooting pains in her back. She took a medical time out after the next game and then, when she realised she simply could not serve, she was forced to retire.
The former world No 3 had been booed at the French Open, where she also made the last eight, for refusing to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian opponents but here it was Azarenka, who put her hand up to acknowledge Svitolina before leaving the court, that received loud jeers.
Although she has been a resident of the USA for most of her life, moving as a teenager, she was born in and represents Belarus. Belarusian athletes were banned from Wimbledon 2022, including Azarenka and her compatriot Aryna Sabalenka, due to their role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
For a while, she refused to publicly condemn the war, leading to a lot of criticism from other players, though she eventually did say “I don't support war, which means I don't support Lukashenko right now.” She eventually decided on Friday to skip her French Open post-match press conferences as a way to protect her “ ...
"We've no intention of doing that," Wimbledon chief executive Sally Bolton said Monday. Fans on No. 1 Court booed Belarusian player Victoria Azarenka after she didn't go to the net to shake hands with Svitolina after the Ukrainian player's victory Sunday.
Billy McKeague is the father of Victoria Azarenka's baby son Leo. McKeague is a former professional hockey player and currently works as a golf coach. The couple bought a house in Manhattan Beach, California, while they were dating, and welcomed their son on December 19, 2016.
Both Monfils and Svitolina have missed quite a significant part of the 2022 season. The Frenchman was out due to a foot injury while the Ukranian was pregnant during that time. However, in 2023 they made a stellar comeback and produced some noteworthy results throughout the year.
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