Marta Kostyuk did not wait. Barely the match point won by Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the Ukrainian player went straight to the chair to greet the referee before packing up her things. No handshake with her rival, as she had announced before the 1st round at Roland-Garros.
Originally from Kiev, Kostyuk considers the tennis authorities too accommodating with Russian and Belarusian players in the measures taken in response to the invasion of her country by troops from Moscow in February 2022. She had already chosen not to greet another Belarusian, Victoria Azarenka, preferring to touch her opponent’s racket with hers during the last US Open.
Kostyuk booed by Central audience
She decided not to greet Sabalenka at all this time, drawing boos from the audience at the time, then walking off the court. The Belarusian then thought at first that she was the target of the public, performing an ironic bow in front of the stands.
“Excuse me, I thought at first that the bronca was for me,” she then explained during the interview after the match, on the court. “I was a little surprised, but then I felt your support. So thank you very much, it’s very important. It was a very tough game on an emotional level”.
“It doesn’t matter if she hates me,” Sabalenka said before the meeting when asked about it. “Regarding the absence of a handshake, I can understand it,” she added.