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Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk sparked an uproar at Roland Garros on Sunday when she refused to shake the hand of Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka following her French Open first-round defeat.
Kostyuk didn’t make eye contact with the reigning Australian Open champion after the 6-3, 6-2 loss. She received a loud round of boos and whistles as she went over to acknowledge the chair umpire. She told reporters after the match she was surprised by the response.
"I have to say I didn’t expect it.... People should be, honestly, embarrassed," Kostyuk said.
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Marta Kostyuk, left, refused to shake hands after losing to Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open in Paris, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
She explained that she saw news back from Kyiv that at least one person was killed in a large drone attack launched by Russia. Belarus has aided Russia in its campaign against Ukraine.
"It’s something I cannot describe, probably. I try to put my emotions aside any time I go out on court. I think I’m better than before, and I don’t think it affects me as much on a daily basis, but yeah, it’s just – I don’t know," she said. "There is not much to say, really. It’s just part of my life."
Sablenka said she first thought the reaction was directed at her.
"At first, I thought they were booing me," she said. "I was a little confused, and I was, like, 'OK, what should I do?’"
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Marta Kostyuk in action against Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open at Roland Garros (Ibrahim Ezzat/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
She asked the chair umpire what was going on but then realized fans at the court may not have known that Ukrainian tennis players were refusing to shake the hands of Russian and Belarusian players after matches.
"They saw it as disrespect (for) me," Sablenka said.
She added that her Sunday was "emotionally tough" because of the war and having to go up against a player from Ukraine.
"You’re playing against (a) Ukrainian and you never know what’s going to happen. You never know how people will – will they support you or not?" Sablenka said. "I was worried, like, people will be against me, and I don’t like to play when people (are) so much against me."
Sablenka said nobody supports the war in Ukraine and would do anything to stop it if she could.
Kostyuk said she wondered why Sablenka wouldn’t just come out and say she "personally doesn’t support this war."
"I don’t know why it’s a difficult situation," she said. "I don’t know what other players are afraid of. I go back to Ukraine, where I can die any second from drones or missiles or whatever it is."
Aryna Sabalenka plays a forehand against Marta Kostyuk at the French Open at Roland Garros on May 28, 2023, in Paris. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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Sablenka, the No. 2 seed, will face qualifier, and fellow Belarusian, Iryna Shymanovich in the second round.
The Associated Press contributed to his report.