The tennis world witnessed another interesting moment during the 2023 Madrid Open when Ukrainian player Lesia Tsurenko refused to shake hands with fellow Russian Daria Kasatkina after a 6-4, 6-2 defeat in the third round.
When the two approached the net at the end of the match, Kasatkina understood that her opponent did not want to shake hands and did only a quick greeting. The Ukrainian athlete responded with a subtle but visible gesture.
This incident, which took place at the Arantxa Sanchez ground, reflects the current war and tensions that affect confrontations in the sports arena. Many players have spoken openly about the tensions in the locker room on the WTA circuit, and it is not the first time that a Ukrainian woman has refused to shake hands with a Russian woman.
It’s also not the first time Tsurenko has been involved in something similar, as she recently pulled out of her Indian Wells match against Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka. As she later revealed, she did so as a result of a panic attack after a conversation with Steve Simon, the executive director of the WTA, about the involvement of Russian and Belarusian athletes.
It was an interesting choice on the part of the Ukrainian not to shake hands with Kasatkina, as she is by far the most vocal of all the Russians, along with her male circuit colleague Andrey Rublev, who often shares his views on the ongoing war.
Kasatkina has said in the past that she wants the war to end, but has also maintained that the Ukrainians are her friends. Moreover, after all her comments, a member of the Russian State Duma wanted Kasatkina to be classified as a “foreign agent”.
In an interview after the match, Kasatkina said: “I had no problem with it. What’s sadder is that we’re still at war and the Ukrainians have reasons not to shake hands with us. with my hand and I was happy about it…”.
🇺🇦🇷🇺 The Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko denied the greeting to the Russian Daria Kasatkina, despite the fact that the latter publicly declared her opposition to the government of Vladimir Putin and the war.pic.twitter.com/vjrjtqQEkY
— Histoporte (@histoporte_) April 30, 2023
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