Victoria Azarenka of Belarus booed at Wimbledon after loss to Elena Svitolina of Ukraine

Belarusian Tennis Player Victoria Azarenka Faces Boos at Wimbledon Following Loss to Ukraine’s Elena Svitolina

Victoria Azarenka expressed her disappointment at being booed by the crowd at Wimbledon after her defeat to Ukrainian competitor Elina Svitolina on Sunday.

Azarenka, hailing from Belarus, had just lost a tight third-set tiebreaker and, aware that Svitolina refrains from shaking hands with Russian and Belarusian players as a protest against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, she went directly to the umpire to offer her handshake.

The two-time Grand Slam champion also gave a subtle wave to Svitolina, who triumphed with a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (9) victory.

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As Azarenka gathered her belongings and left No. 1 Court, where the spectators had been supporting Svitolina, boos echoed throughout the stands.

“I cannot control the crowd. I’m not sure if many people understood what was happening,” Azarenka remarked, suggesting that the audience may have been under the influence of alcohol. “It wasn’t fair. It is what it is. What can I do?”

It remains unclear whether the fans believed Azarenka had snubbed Svitolina, but the Belarusian shook her head as she exited the court and clenched her hands together above her head.

At the French Open, the situation was reversed for Ukrainian players. Marta Kostyuk faced boos when she didn’t shake hands with Belarusian player Aryna Sabalenka at the net. Svitolina also stated that she was booed in Paris.

“I personally believe that the tennis organizations should issue a statement clarifying that there will be no handshake between Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian players,” Svitolina expressed. “Some people might not fully understand the situation. So, I think this is the appropriate course of action.”

The 33-year-old Azarenka, who relocated to the United States from Belarus as a teenager, mentioned having always maintained a good relationship with Svitolina.

“But what can I say about the crowd? There’s nothing to say,” Azarenka responded. “She doesn’t want to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian individuals. I respected her decision. What else could I have done? Should I have stayed and waited? I mean, there was no right action for me to take, so I simply did what I thought was respectful given her decision.”

AP tennis: Visit https://bigbignews.net/tennis or follow https://twitter.com/AP_Sports for more updates.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about post-match handshakes

More about post-match handshakes

• Wimbledon: Official Website
• Victoria Azarenka: Official Website
• Elena Svitolina: Official Website
• Belarus: Wikipedia
• Ukraine: Wikipedia
• Tennis Sportsmanship: Article
• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: News Article