“This girl is from Russia,” Anhelina Kalinina REFUSES the customary handshake with Veronika Kudermetova
Kalinina addressed the issue and stated that her actions were a direct response to the war between the two nations.
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Veronica Kudermetova and Anhelina Kalinina( Credits: Romania Posts English and Tennis.com)
Anhelina Kalinina defeated Veronika Kudermetova in their semi-final clash at the Italian Open. After her outstanding triumph, the Ukranian player has reached her career’s first WTA 1000 finals. During the post-match conference, World No.47 stated that her refusal to shake hands with the Russian player is all about the political circumstances and nothing personal.
The 26-year-old player had quite an ‘underwhelming’ performance at the start of the year. She only made it to the round of 16 in her past tournaments. With the start of the clay tours, Kalinina made her first-round exit at both the Stuttgart and Madrid Open. In the Rome Open, the Ukrainian player delivered a game of impressive tennis after winning the first two rounds without dropping a single set. In her quarter-final clash with Beatriz Haddad Maia, Kalinina won the grueling battle in 3 hours and 41 minutes, making it the longest match of the season.
After her season’s first semi-final victory, the Ukranian player refused to greet her opponent at the customary net exchange. At the press conference, Kalinina addressed the issue and stated that her actions were a direct response to the war between the two nations.
“We didn’t shake hands because the girl is from Russia. It’s no secret why I didn’t, because this country is attacking Ukraine. So, yes, this is sport, I get it, but it’s also kind of a political thing. It’s not personal,” she said.
Kalinina also praised Kudermetova for her competitive performance and expressed her immense satisfaction in winning the match. “No, but she is also a great player. It was a great fight. It was about tennis and it was difficult. When I won 7-5 then I lost concentration a bit. She was also very nervous because she was serving for the match,” the Ukrainian player confessed.
On the question of sponsors, the Ukranian is waiting to receive a clothing sponsorship and is more focused to improve her overall performance.“Yes, I have a sponsorship with Yonex. I don’t have a clothing sponsor yet, we’re waiting. I have to improve my tennis and be high in the rankings. All the girls you see are good and it’s not always about me in the market,” she further added.
Kalinina will be playing Elena Rybakina at the final of the Italian Open. The Kazak player defeated the Top seeds Iga Swiatek and Jelena Ostapenko to book her final’s spot for the first time in Rome. The match is scheduled for today at 7 PM GMT.
Anhelina Kalinina determined to win the potential title at the Italian Open
Anhelina Kalinina has achieved the biggest milestone of her career. After defeating Veronika Kudermetova in the semi-final, the Ukranian will be playing her first final, both at the Rome Open and the WTA circuit. She will be facing the Top 20 player for the third consecutive match, after her perfect victory over Beatriz Haddad Maia (12th seed) and Madison Keys (19th seed). With the final’s appearance, Kalinina is assured of a new career-high ranking on Monday. She will be rising to World No.12 with the title or World No.15 while finishing as a runner-up.
During the media conference, the World No.47 talked about the advantage of having two rest days to recover and expressed her views on her final’s rival.
“First of all, I would say that it was a big advantage for me that after Tuesday I had two rest days. I was resting on Wednesday and arrived about 45 minutes early on Thursday. Today I felt much better than the days before. I had my time to recover,” Kalinina said.
“What can I say about Rybakina or Ostapenko? They are both Grand Slam champions and both are super aggressive girls on court. I played with both of them and I don’t care who wins because it’s going to be very difficult anyway,” she made an honest admission on what’s in for her going into the finals of the Italian Open.
Kalinina became the second Ukrainian player to reach the WTA 1000 final, along with the two-time Italian Open winner, Elina Svitolina.
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