Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk refuses to shake hands with Victoria Azarenka over silence regarding war

NEW YORK — After her straight set loss to former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with her Belarusian opponent. Instead, she raised her racket for a quick tap.

Kostyuk, who has been vocal about her unhappiness about Russian and Belarusian players' silence on the tour, said it was not appropriate to shake hands with Azarenka at the news conference after the match.

«It was my choice — I don't feel like 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,» she told ESPN.

«Don't get me wrong, she's a great competitor. But, it has nothing to do with her being a human being,» Kostyuk added.

After the Citi Open in Washington D.C., Ukrainian player Dayana Yastremska also refused to shake hands with Azarenka after the match. Yastremska fled Ukraine with her younger sister days after the Russian invasion began in February.

Belarus has been sanctioned by the United States for its «support» and «facilitation» of the invasion.

Kostyuk said that Azarenka has not reached out to her to have a conversation since the beginning of the war. Kostyuk said given Azarenka's reach both in Belarus and as a part of the WTA's Players' Council, she should use her voice to condemn the war.

Kostyuk also said she had texted Azarenka yesterday after her practice session to «warn her» that she will not shake hands with her after the match today. Kostyuk also said she wanted to have a broader conversation with Azarenka on the war and hear her thoughts on where the Belarusian stood. Kostyuk said Azarenka responded that she was not on site, and so they did not have the conversation.

Azarenka was removed from last week's USTA's