Refusing to shake Sabalenka's hand, Kostyuk was booed at Roland-Garros

The Ukrainian player was eliminated in the first round of Roland-Garros with a 3-6, 2-6 defeat to Sabalenka. After the match, Kostyuk surprised Sabalenka by refusing to shake hands. It can be understood that this was Kostyuk's way of protesting Sabalenka's failure to condemn the Russia-Ukraine conflict as Kostyuk wanted. And because he refused to shake hands, Kostyuk received boos from the audience.

“What happened today, I have to admit, I did not expect. When I played in England last year, people reacted very differently,” Kostyuk said, responding to the attitude of some French people. “I want to see how people react in 10 years. I think they will not be satisfied with themselves when they think back on what they did. I said no handshakes and I will not change my mind.”

Like many other Ukrainian players, Kostyuk criticized the ATP and WTA tennis organizations for keeping the playing field open to Russian and Belarusian players. Last year at the US Open, Kostyak also refused to shake hands with Belarusian player Victoria Azarenka. The Ukrainian only touched her racket with her. At this year's French Open, Kostyak continued to refuse to shake hands with Sabalenka and publicly criticized the Belarusian player.

“Sabalenka could be number one in the world at the end of the tournament, in one of the most popular sports in the world. In a very simple way, she could send a message. And then she refuses to take responsibility for her opinion. I don’t respect that,” Kostyuk said. As for Sabalenka, the world number two took a soft stance in response to Kostyuk’s attacks. “She didn’t deserve it,” the Belarusian said of Kostyuk being booed by the French crowd.

Marta Kostyuk (áo sẫm) quay lưng bỏ đi, từ chối bắt tay với Aryna Sabalenka

Marta Kostyuk (dark shirt) turned away and walked away, refusing to shake hands with Aryna Sabalenka.

Politics in sport is a hot topic in tennis. Two months ago, Wimbledon lifted its ban on Russian and Belarusian players, sparking a backlash from Ukrainian players.

Kostyuk is currently ranked 39th in the world and is one of Ukraine's most promising tennis players. The 2002-born player's highest achievement was reaching the fourth round of Roland-Garros 2021. Earlier this year, Kostyuk reached the third round of the Australian Open. Kostyuk's mother is a former tennis player ranked 391st in the WTA. Kostyuk started playing tennis as a child at the Antey Tennis Club, west of Kiev, where her mother coached her. Kostyuk described her first experience with tennis when she was just 5 years old: "My mother spent a lot of time on tennis. When I first went to the practice court, I had the simple thought of a little girl that if I played tennis, I would have more time with my mother. That was my initial motivation, simply to be closer to my mother."

Meanwhile, Sabalenka is currently ranked second in the world and is the second seed at Roland-Garros 2023. Since the beginning of the year, Sabalenka has continuously achieved good results at major tournaments, reaching the final of Adelaide 1 and especially winning the 2023 Australian Open. In the Australian Open final, Sabalenka defeated Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina to win the first Grand Slam championship of her career.

After beating Kostyuk in the first round, Sabalenka will meet compatriot Iryna Shymanovich in the second round of the French Open. Shymanovich, currently ranked 214th in the world, will not pose much of a problem for Sabalenka. In an interview ahead of Roland-Garros, Sabalenka stated her goal of winning the biggest clay-court tournament. Previously, the Belarusian player had never advanced beyond the third round of Roland-Garros.

There have been no major surprises at Roland-Garros as all the top players have advanced. If there was a surprise, it was the defeat of No. 8 seed Maria Sakkari to Karolina Muchova in the first round. Fans are looking forward to the women's singles final between Iga Swiatek and Sabalenka as the two WTA leaders are drawn in different brackets.

Trong An (synthesis)

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