Elina Svitolina refuses to answer question on Kate Middleton after defeat in Wimbledon

The Ukrainian got ousted in the semifinal round

Elina Svitolina refuses to answer question on Kate Middleton after defeat in Wimbledon

Elina Svitolina and Kate Middleton (Credits People.com)

Wild card entry Elina Svitolina lost the semifinal match in straight sets to Marketa Vondrousova in a surprising turn of events. Being reckoned as an exceptional force in this year’s Wimbledon, she was thought to be one of the players to reach the finals. But her fairytale dream came to an abrupt end.

Svitolina was anticipated to play against World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, who is a Belarussian player. This would have been an awkward position for her, as she has very clearly expressed her stance on the Russia-Ukraine war. It could also have been a chance for her to symbolically take revenge for tearing apart her home country, Ukraine.

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In the post-match conference, when asked by a reporter how will it look, if Aryna Sabalenka ends up winning the tournament and receives the trophy from the Princess of Wales, Svitolina responded that she is not in a good state of mind to answer that question. “To be fair, I didn’t really think about this at all. Right now I’m not in a good state of mind to reply to these questions. I will not be here. Yeah, I’m just upset that I’m not playing and not taking that trophy from her,” replied the Ukrainian.

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Notably, this scenario will not take place as Sabalenka was ousted by Arab player Ons Jabeur and is not in the finals.

Related: WATCH: Elina Svitolina breaks down after Wimbledon loss to Marketa Vondrousova as she remembers messages of support from Ukrainians

Elina Svitolina’s stance on Russian-Belarussian players

Elina Svitolina (Image via Fox 56)
Elina Svitolina (Image via Fox 56)

Before coming back from the maternity break, Svitolina made it very clear that she would not shake hands with any Russian or Belarussian players on the WTA Tour. She affirmed that as long as the Russian and Belarussian troops don’t leave her country, she will not be shaking hands with the players from their nation.

She even urged the Tennis Authorities to make it a rule that until the troops leave Ukraine, they should not allow any player to shake hands with the Russian and Belarussian players. Her stance has created a lot of controversy in the past. Recently, Victoria Azarenka was booed in the 4th round match with Svitolina as she respected the latter’s decision and did not initiate the handshake with her. The same happened at the French Open when Svitolina was booed for not shaking hands with Sabalenka.

Last year, the All-England Tennis Club put up a ban on players from the two countries, and the decision was supported by the Ukrainian. However, this year, the Club lifted the ban, to which Svitolina responded after her first-round match that she does not support this change.

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