Marta Kostyuk spoke of her confusion over the hostile reception she received at the French Open, as she moves into the second round at Wimbledon.

Ukrainian player Kostyuk was booed by the crowd at Roland Garros a few months ago after she refused to shake hands with her Belarussian opponent after the match. The current world No. 36 was facing world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the first round in Paris, where Kostyuk lost 6-3, 6-2.

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Fans will regret their actions

Speaking after her match at the French Open, Kostyuk expressed surprise and disgust at the fans who booed her for her actions.

Ukrainian players have not shaken hands with Russian or Belarussian opponents since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022. Kostyuk was no exception, but did still show sportsmanship by shaking the umpire's hand.

The 21-year-old was then left stunned by the angry reaction from the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd,

"I want to see people react to it in ten years when the war is over. I think they will not feel really nice about what they did," she said. In reference to her decision not to shake Sabalenka's hand, she added "I said that I will not do it, and I don't know why people think I'll suddenly change my mind"

Overall, she summed up her thoughts on what she described as fans' "questionable behavior" by saying,

"I mean, they can do whatever they want, honestly, but I just didn't understand it. I don't think I ever will."

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A better reception at Wimbledon

Things have been looking more positive for Kostyuk at this year's grasscourt major, defeating eighth seed Maria Sakkari in her opening match. Despite not getting a single game on the board during the first set, Kostyuk came back strong and ultimately defeated the Greek player 0-6, 7-5, 6-2.

Speaking after the match, the Ukrainian said that whilst the crowd were supporting Sakkari more, she wasn't upset by it,

"Obviously the support here is different, even though in the beginning of the match, I'd say that they were supporting Maria more than me, which is understandable, because she's more known than me. You know, she's top-10 player. You know, I was fine with it.

"Very happy with the support at the end of the match. I mean, throughout the match, too."

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Turning it around 🔁 After losing the first 0-6, @marta_kostyuk claims the second set 7-5 to force a decider #Wimbledon

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