Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina will not shake hands with representatives of Russia and Belarus until the end of the war out of respect for the defenders of Ukraine at the front. The 28-year-old woman from Odessa noted that all Ukrainians are united by a common goal and intend to stop the aggressor.
Svitolina stated this in a commentary to the Reuters news agency. The former first racket of our country added that by her actions she demonstrates support for Ukraine, and also called the crimes committed by the Russian government and the Russian army a horror.
“Ukrainians are united by one goal – to win this war. I stand for my country, I do my best to support the men and women who are now on the front lines, fighting for our land, our country. You can imagine how some guy or the girl on the front line looks at me and I act like nothing is happening? I represent my country. I have a voice and a position in this war. What the Russian government and army are doing is really terrible. this is our position” – said Svitolina.
On Friday, June 2, Elina defeated Russian Anna Blinkova and reached the 1/8 finals of Roland Garros, and after the match she refused to crush her opponent’s hand. The fans then booed Svetolina.
Earlier, Marta Kostyuk from Kiev was subjected to pressure at Roland Garros. She refused to greet the Belarusian Arina Sobolenko, for which she was also booed.
As GLOBAL HAPPENINGS reported, American tennis player Lauren Davis refused to continue the match with Ukrainian Lesya Tsurenko at Roland Garros-2023.
Source: Obozrevatel
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
