Announcement to be made to crowd before Svitolina Azarenka clash at DC Open to explain no handshake after Wimbledon incident
WTAMonday, 31 July 2023 at 21:25
After an utter epic at Wimbledon, it was marred by Victoria Azarenka being booed for no handshake with Elina Svitolina despite the latter making her stance clear.
It stirred up huge debate surrounding what should be done to educate crowds with the stance of Ukrainian players not changing.
It seems the DC Open have employed a tactic which was asked for ahead of their match on Monday evening.
Elina Svitolina confirmed in her pre tournament press conference ahead of their tie tomorrow night that she spoke to WTA CEO, Steve Simon.
He told her that they will announce to the crowd before her match that there will be no handshake.
"I'm happy with that," said Svitolina. But some took a different view to this.
In the replies to Ben Rothenberg's tweet, one fan said that they are less likely to be like Paris or London, but they are unlikely to be paying attention either.
"Skeptical this is going to work. Fans are either not settled in or not paying attention before the first ball is struck. The good thing is that DC fans aren’t as eager to boo as some others."
Another took a cynical view: "Who cares, we only want to watch a great tennis game!!"
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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- Clearly not AI :-)
AceOfBase11-09-2026 - Oh my God!! Does anyone proofread these pages??? Case in point: However, the question mark over the 32-years-old head......???? No! No! No! However, the question mark over the 32-year-old's head...good grief man, hire a proofreader. This article is rife with errors making some sentences very difficult to read. I had to stop. I am a proofreader hence my disgust.Rapunzel10-09-2026
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mandoist08-09-2026 - Don't lay this shitshow on "Americans". It is a long-running Ego trip with WTA allowing these two Elitists 'in need of a Camera' illicit Wildcards. If these two clowns want to "perform" -- then play the qualies.mandoist08-09-2026
- Here we go again…. Different rules for Americans! Especially THESE Americans. Yuck!DaveyWavey07-09-2026
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