MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2023) The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) said on Monday that it supported the decision of Ukrainian athletes not to shake hands with athletes from Russia and Belarus after the matches of the Wimbledon tennis tournament.
On Sunday, Ukrainian Elina Svitolina beat her opponent from Belarus, Victoria Azarenka, in the fourth round of Wimbledon. After the match, the athletes did not shake hands and Azarenka was booed by the stands. Later, Svitolina said that the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the WTA should issue a statement that Ukrainian players would not shake hands with athletes from Russia and Belarus.
"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," the WTA said on Twitter.
In February, Svitolina also called on the International Olympic Committee to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
