Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with Victoria Azarenka of Belarus after losing to her in the second round of the U.S. Open on September 1 as animosity among the players over the war in Ukraine crept into the grand slam tournament in New York.
Azarenka defeated Kostyuk 6-2, 6-3 and opted for a racquet touch instead of the customary handshake after the match. Kostyuk said it was a way to express her frustration with Azarenka for not opposing the war more vocally.
Kostyuk said Azarenka had not personally told her her opinion about the war, adding: "I feel like she could have done more."
The 20-year-old from Kyiv said she felt that a handshake would not have been “the right thing to do in the circumstances I'm in right now."
Belarus is a close ally of Russia and has allowed the Russian military to use its territory to launch attacks into Ukraine.
Azarenka, 33, said she wasn't surprised by Kostyuk's offer of her racket instead of her hand.
"I don't believe that making a big deal out of it is important. I always shake hands with my opponents," she said.
Azarenka also pushed back at the suggestion she had not reached out to Kostyuk, saying she had offered to many times through the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).
The two-time grand slam winner, who is ranked 26th in the world, also said she had put out "a very clear message from the beginning that I'm here to try to help."