CNN
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tennis player Elena Svitolina called his opponent, Russian Daria Kasatkina, a “brave” after Ukraine’s upset win on Sunday.
Svitolinawho previously said she wouldn’t. shake hands Out of respect for the men and women who defend Ukraine alongside Russian and Belarusian opponents, told reporters that he “acknowledged” Kasatkina after the match.
Kasatkina has been outspoken in her criticism of the war, describing it as a “nightmare” last year. The New York Times.
Last month, Russia’s top-ranked female tennis player Kasatkina also expressed her sympathy for Ukrainian tennis players who refused to shake hands after matches.
“Really grateful to him for the position he took. He [a] It’s a really brave person to say that publicly, which not many players have done,” Svitolina said after advancing to the quarterfinals of the French Open.
“He’s a brave one.”
Instead of shaking hands, Kasatkina gave her opponent a thumbs up at the net after losing the match 6-4 7-6 (7-5). She later said that she was disappointed to hear the kiss from some members of the crowd.
“Leaving Paris with a very bitter feeling. All these days, after every match I played in Paris, I always appreciated and thanked the crowd for being there and supporting the players,” Kasatkina said. Tweeted Monday
“But yesterday I was scolded for simply respecting my opponent’s no-hands stance.
“Me and Elena respected each other after a tough match but leaving the court like that was the worst part of yesterday. Be better, love each other. Don’t spread hate. Try to make this world a better place.”
Kasatkina, who announced last year that she is gay and has criticized Russia’s attitudes toward homosexuality, has maintained her stance against the war in Ukraine.
“The saddest thing is that the war is still going on,” the 26-year-old said last month. “So of course, the Ukrainian players have many reasons not to shake hands. I accept that and that’s the way it is. It’s a very sad situation and I understand that.”
Playing in her first major since the 2022 Australian Open and for the first time since becoming a mother, Svitolina said she was just focusing on recovery and preparing for her next match.
“Of course I would love to win here,” Svitolina said. “It would be a dream, but it has always been step by step in my career.
“I think that’s the only right way to not look too far into the future, because otherwise you lose focus on the little things that lead you to win matches.”
Svitolina will play Belarusian Arina Sabalenka in the next round on Tuesday.
World No. 2 Sabalenka Stopped participating After traditionally holding post-match press conferences at the tournament, she said she did not feel safe at a previous press conference where she was questioned about her country’s involvement in the war.
Sabalenka said in March she was struggling to understand the “hate” in the locker room amid strained relations between some players following the invasion of Ukraine – Belarus as a key staging ground for Russia. is being used.
“About the war situation, I said many times, no one in this world – Russian athletes, Belarusian athletes – supports war. No one. How can we support war? Ordinary people will never do this. will not support,” he said.
Russian and Belarusian players currently compete on tours as neutral players without revealing their flag or country.