“Separate politics from the sport!” – WTA’s official stand on Azarenka-Svitolina handshake controversy at Wimbledon doesn’t sit well with the fans
WTA's official statement on Twitter regarding foregoing the handshaking tradition has created a controversy of its own.
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Victoria Azarenka and Elina Svitolina at Wimbledon (Credits: Wimbledon)
In light of the recent controversy regarding hand-shaking, which affected the Wimbledon match between Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka and Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, the WTA has decided to release an official statement, essentially allowing players to forego the long–standing tradition of shaking hands at the end of a match if they personally deem so.
In a statement on Twitter, WTA addressed the controversy of the Azarenka – Svitolina match at Wimbledon. “Following the unfortunate circumstances and misunderstanding in yesterday’s match at Wimbledon, (along with other matches the past several weeks), the WTA would like to provide clarity around post-match handshakes.”
Citing the Russia – Ukraine war, the WTA spoke of its decision to let players forego the handshaking tradition if it is their personal decision. “Due to the ongoing reprehensible war, the WTA respects the position of the Ukrainian athletes in foregoing the tradition of shaking opponents’ hands (from Russia and Belarus) at the end of a match, as this is a personal decision. We have some of the best fans in the world and are grateful for their passion and dedication, and we thank them for their understanding and respect for the athletes.”
Matches for the past few months between Ukrainian and Russian / Belarusian players have been marred with political tension. The decision of players not to shake hands at the end only seems to aggravate the tension. The most relevant example of this is the Wimbledon fourth-round match between Azarenka and Svitolina.
Despite having mutually decided not to shake hands pre–match, Azarenka had to face the brunt of boos and jeers from the crowd at the end of the match. Perhaps the crowd assumed it was Azarenka who refused to obey the tradition when it was actually the other way around.
WTA’s official statement draws the ire of fans on Twitter
Most tennis fans were unhappy with the decision, with some taking to Twitter to criticize the decision. Most fans believe that players who do not respect their opponents enough to be comfortable shaking hands with them shouldn’t be competing in the first place.
They believe that sports should remain alienated from the political landscape as much as possible. Otherwise, its integrity gets tarnished. Others expressed their opinion that this political conflict reflected in sports will have a negative influence on children and aspiring players.
In spite of the official decision, one still cannot be sure whether the spectators will be aware of such rule changes. Chances are the crowds might still jeer, oblivious to the political tension playing behind them. We will find out whether this decision helps players as the Wimbledon championship goes on.
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Ketan Kunkalikar
(129 Articles Published)