“I’ll just get more hate online,” Marta Kostyuk prepared to face social media flak after refusing a handshake with Anastasia Potapova
Marta Kostyuk ready for social media attacks after refusing to handshake with Anastasia Potapova.

Marta Kostyuk and Anastasia Potapova (Credits: Sky sports, tennis infinity)
Ukrainian World No.38 Marta Kostyuk is ready for the social media attack following her defeat to Russian World No.26 Anastasia Potapova and refusing a handshake. She said this at a press conference in Miami. It was during the second round of the Miami Masters that Kostyuk lost to the Russian1-6, 3-6. Kostyuk cited the tensions around the Russia-Ukraine and Potapova’s action of bringing the Russian club Spartak Moscow jersey at the Indian Wells Masters as the reason.
As Kostyuk said, “There are a lot of things that I donโt agree with that the WTA is doing. This is not going to change anything. Iโll just get more hate online. Whatever I say, I will get a lot of hate. I donโt know. You [can] give her a warning. You can suspend someone, I donโt know. I canโt comment on that really, itโs just funny.”
Kostyuk had been very vocal recently against Russian players amidst the tension and war happening in Ukraine, her country. As a result, she started refusing to shake hands with all the Russian and Belarusian tennis players.
There are tensions all around the WTA due to the war

Just a few days after Iga Swiatek asked WTA to condemn Russian World No.28ย Anastasia Potapovaย for appearing in the Spartak Moscow Jersey, Russian tennis federation chiefย Shamil Tarpischevย took a dig at Polish World No.1ย Iga Swiatekย for criticizing the same. He said, โI havenโt heard that you canโt go out in club shirts.ย Itโs not a coat of arms or a flag.โ
The Polish World No.1 has been playing with a blue and yellow ribbon in her cap ever since the Russian war in honor of the Ukrainian people. Her statements condemning WTA for not taking strict actions in support of the Ukrainian players were a reflection of it. Swiatek also admitted that the atmosphere around the WTA locker room is not so good with the talks of the Russia- Ukraine war in the air.
Ukrainian World No.95ย Lesia Tsurenkoย also slammed Russian World No.28ย Anastasia Potapovaย for appearing in her Indian Wells third-round match againstย Jessica Pegulaย with a Spartak Moscow jersey. Tsurenko had earlier withdrawn from her third-round match against the eventual finalist of the tournament(finals to be played against Kazhak World No.10ย Elena Rybakina) โ Russian World No.2ย Aryna Sabalenkaย citing a panic attack as the reason due to the war stress.
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