Wimbledon says no plans to issue statement after Azarenka booing

LONDON: Wimbledon chiefs said on Monday (Jul 10) they have no plans to issue a statement after Belarusian Victoria Azarenka was booed off the court following her defeat by Ukraine's Elina Svitolina.

Svitolina won a gripping three-set match on Court One late on Sunday to set up a quarter-final clash with world No 1 Iga Swiatek.

As has become common, Svitolina did not shake hands with Azarenka in protest over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Belarus is a key military ally of Moscow.

Azarenka, who held her hand up in the direction of Svitolina, seemingly in a gesture of respect, left the court to a chorus of boos from some sections of the crowd.

The two-time Australian Open champion said her treatment "wasn't fair".

"I thought it was a great tennis match," she added. "If people are going to be focusing only on handshakes or the crowd, quite drunk crowd, booing in the end, that's a shame."

Svitolina and her fellow Ukraine players all refused to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian rivals at the recent French Open.

She called on the sport's governing bodies to explain the position of Ukraine players.

"I don't know if it's maybe not clear for people, some people not really knowing what is happening," she said. "So I think this is the right (thing) to do."

But All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton said on Monday that Wimbledon had no plans to issue such a statement.

"Historically in tennis the decision on how a player reacts at the end of a match is entirely a personal decision for them and I think we don't really want to start mandating what happens," she said.

"I think we have an incredibly knowledgeable audience at Wimbledon and I think in most part they would understand what was happening."

She admitted it is impossible to