“I barely say Hi,” Marta Kostyuk continues to snub Russian and Belarusian colleagues
Marta Kostyuk continues to ignore her peers from Russia and Belarus
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Russian, Belarusian and Ukraine Players
Ukrainian tennis star, Marta Kostyuk continues to snub her Russian and Belarusian peers who do not condemn the war. The 20-year-old made it into headlines last year during the U.S. Open when she refused to give a traditional handshake post-match to the Belarusian star Victoria Azarenka.
Marta continues her habit and snubs those Russians and Belarusians who did not condemn the war publicly. On Monday, after her first-round victory against 28th-seeded American Amanda Anisimova, she stated her opinion on the same.
In her first round in the Australian Open 2023, she won 6-3,6-4 in straight sets, upsetting the 28th seed. In an interview with Reuters speaking about her decision, she said “I haven’t changed about the war and everything that’s going on, on tour. Because people who just say they don’t want war, it makes us (Ukraine) sound like we want war. Obviously, we don’t want the war, too.”
In addition to this, she went on saying “Whoever speaks out clearly I believe has every right to be on tour but whoever doesn’t … I don’t think it’s just humane. I don’t really talk to anyone. I barely say ‘hi’ to them.”
Marta Kostyuk and Ukrainians continue to oppose Russians in global events
Despite many rules for the Russian and Belarusian players, the tournament is still witnessing actions that trigger controversies among Russian fans. Players like Marta Kostyuk and other Ukrainians have been expressing their distress over these issues.
The Australian Open had already permitted players from Russia and Belarus to play under a neutral flag. However, fans still are seen bringing flags from these respective nations and waving them. Especially in those matches where players from Ukraine are playing. Tennis Australia is condemned by the Ukrainian ambassador and their players for breaching the Australian Open tournament policies.
Fans and the players would want no issues and rather a smooth major like always. But if these scenes repeat further again, tough decisions had to be taken which will affect those who have nothing to do. Players like Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev are participating in this tournament and they are one of the favorites to win. However, due to these actions from fans, they are likely to cause trouble to their national players.
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Santhosh Tenneti
(308 Articles Published)