Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk declines to shake Victoria Azarenka’s hand

Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk declined to shake the hand of her Belarusian opponent Victoria Azarenka after their second-round match at the US Open.

Kostyuk has been the most vocal critic of the lack of condemnation from Russian and Belarusian players to the invasion of her country.

After Azarenka’s 6-2 6-3 victory, 20-year-old Kostyuk did not offer her hand to her opponent, instead holding out her racket for a cursory tap.

A cursory racket tap after Azarenka beats Kostyuk. A woman in the crowd with a Ukraine flag over her lap was told to put it away by security. pic.twitter.com/B90WHp8npg

— Eleanor Crooks (@EleanorcrooksPA) September 1, 2022

Kostyuk said: “I just don’t think it’s the right thing to do in the circumstances I’m in right now. I don’t know any single person who condemned the war publicly, and the actions of their government so I don’t feel like I can support this.

“We had a great match, don’t get me wrong. She’s a great competitor, I respect her as an athlete, but that has nothing to do with her being a human being.

“People who didn’t watch the match will probably slam me and tell me, ‘She’s such a b***h, thank God Vika beat her, she talks too much, and it was a fair score’. But it was honestly a super close match.”

Kostyuk singled out Azarenka because of her profile and role on the WTA Player Council and believes she should have made more of an effort to speak personally to Ukrainian players.

Azarenka insisted she has offered help and support, saying: “I’ve offered many times through WTA, because I believe there is a sort of sensitivity. I’ve been told that that’s not a good time.

“I never had a close relationship with Marta. In March when everything happened, I have reached out to all the (Ukrainian) players