"Don’t want to keep repeating the same questions over and over": Azarenka to 'minimise media intake' due to handshakes constantly being asked about

Thursday, 17 August 2023 at 09:00

The former world number one Victoria Azarenka has expressed her frustration after being asked about the handshake incident once again.

The 34-year-old suffered a defeat against Donna Vekic of Croatia in the round of 32 of the Cincinnati Open (Western and Southern Open) with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday.

After the match, Azarenka was once again asked whether she is tired of talking about the handshake.

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In response to that, the two-time Grand Slam winner admitted that it is frustrating and stated that she wants to talk about other stuff but only one thing keeps coming up during her interaction with the media.

“I do want to have interesting discussions because I’m very professional all the time and I do give insightful answers,” she said. “But unfortunately, the only that comes up in the media is this one question, and I just feel like I’m wasting my time.

“I had a transcript from a whole interview in Montréal. That was nowhere to be found, and the only thing that came out of it was about handshakes. I want to minimize my media intake because I don’t want to keep repeating the same questions over and over.”

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The famous handshake incident took place in Wimbledon last month where Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina refused to have a handshake with Azarenka in protest of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Following that incident, the crowd sitting in the arena booed at Azarenka who later clarified that she was just respecting the wish of her opponent.

Svitolina later admitted that it was her decision to not have a handshake with any Russian or Belarusian player until every Russian soldier leave Ukrainian soil.

Both European countries are involved in this armed conflict since February last year which has resulted in the loss of lives on both sides.

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Azeem Siddiqui

Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.

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