WATCH: “The crown-b*tch of women’s tennis”- Jelena Ostapenko brutally trolled after refusing to shake hands with Victoria Azarenka following upset in Doha

Jelena Ostapenko offered a racket tap after losing to Victoria Azarenka.

WATCH: “The crown-b*tch of women’s tennis”- Jelena Ostapenko brutally trolled after refusing to shake hands with Victoria Azarenka following upset in Doha

Jelena Ostapenko (Image via Imago)

Latvian tennis ace Jelena Ostapenko faced a lot of backlash for her lack of sportsmanship after she did not shake hands with Victoria Azarenka. As Ostapenko faced a defeat at the hands of Azarenka in Doha, the Latvian ace did not shake hands with her Belarusian counterpart. Instead, Ostapenko offered a racket tap after the match was over.

However, Azarenka whispered something and the players went to shake hands with the chair umpire. This whole act was caught on camera and the video went viral on social media. This meant that it attracted criticism from the fans.

YouTube video

A user highlighted how Ostapenko has not yet matured despite her claiming about it a few weeks back.

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How ironic that Jelena Ostapenko called herself a ‘more mature player’ just the other week. She’s played great tennis this season but I see absolutely no difference in her maturity. Same lack of respect and terrible sportsmanship.
The user wrote while sharing the video on X.

Many others joined this used in criticizing the Latvian ace for her unruly behavior. Check out the reactions below.

Is there a reason behind such behavior from Jelena Ostapenko?

While Jelena Ostapenko’s action looks unwarranted, there might be some reason behind the Latvian ace acting a particular way. It is no hidden fact that Russian and Belarusian players continue to suffer due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Ostapenko’s actions also align with the same.

Jelena_Ostapenko
Jelena Ostapenko (Image via Imago)

As per reports, Latvia has banned its sports teams from competing against Russian or Belarusian squads, regardless of whether they’re competing under a neutral banner. Latvia’s parliament adopted the relevant amendments as a show of support with Kyiv amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In case the Latvian national team is drawn to play against Russia or Belarus, the international sports organizations will have to respect Latvian legislation
Davis Martins Daugavietis, chairman of the sports sub-committee in the Latvian parliament said.

Although Jelena Ostapenko is not representing the Latvian team she plays under the national flag and hence might have been asked to abide by the new resolution passed.

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