Tennis player Kostyuk said she did not shake hands with Gracheva because of her refusal to condemn Russia
Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk explained her refusal to shake hands with Russian woman Varvara Gracheva after the final match of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournament in Austin (USA). Her words are quoted by Big Tennis of Ukraine.
The athlete said that WTA representatives were warned about her intentions, as the Russian woman refused to condemn the authorities of her country. “I clearly said that we would not have a joint photo at the end and that the photographers would not try to somehow snatch us together, so that later they could be put up and used somehow,” she said.
On March 6, Kostyuk defeated Gracheva in two sets with a score of 6:3, 7:5. During the awards ceremony, the athletes did not take the traditional joint photo. In addition, they did not mention each other in post-match interviews.
The WTA did not completely exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in tournaments. Tennis players continue to compete in a neutral status.
Source: Lenta
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
