That moment showed me the humanity in this. Elina & Ukrainian players have taken this stance to not shake hands with Russian/Belorussian players & I get it but in my heart, I know Elina knows the kind of person Anna is & believe she wished she could have broken her stance 1 time.
"That moment showed me there's humanity in this": Svitolina nearly broke no handshake rule with Blinkova as Stubbs feels for both players
WTASaturday, 03 June 2023 at 01:38
Elina Svitolina defeated Anna Blinkova at Roland Garros (French Open) and she almost broke her no handshake rule with former player Rennae Stubbs weighing in on that.
Svitolina and Blinkova played in the Strasbourg final last week with the Ukranian emerging on top. They didn't shake hands that time around and didn't do it this time but they exchanged some warmth after the match with Svitolina telling Blinkova that it was a good match. For a moment it did look like Svitolina wanted to hug Blinkov after the match but it didn't happen.
Former player and former Serena Williams coach Rennae Stubbs followed the match and she reacted to the match on Twitter. She shared some of her thoughts on social media:
"You saw Elina look at Anna & say Thank you in their native tongue & the thumbs up. Then u saw them briefly stand there for a second & I think in that moment Elina would have liked to not have a war happening in her country to be able to appreciate the match her & Anna just played"
She continued:
"That moment showed me the humanity in this. Elina & Ukrainian players have taken this stance to not shake hands with Russian/Belorussian players & I get it but in my heart, I know Elina knows the kind of person Anna is & believe she wished she could have broken her stance 1 time."
And added:
"The face Anna gave Elina was 1 of kindness, respect and empathy, even
when losing such a tough battle. It's people like these two that could
help create a better world. I give them both so much credit for the
women they are. Congrats @ElinaSvitolina & much respect @blinkova_anna"
It was a good thing among the tension that we saw in previous weeks.
Just In
Popular News
Latest Comments
- Must be okay to do this because WTA apparently could care less. They seem to be even more distant since the Saudi's filled their personal bank accounts. This particular smashing was extreme... and in front of so many little children who (unfortunately in some cases) look up to these players.
mandoist02-05-2024 - Unfortunately the WTA & ITF Fat-Cats are comfortable lounging in their elite surroundings and do not hear anything they do not wish to hear. Not to mention how any compassion, concerns, or sensibility toward the general overall health of players likely went away with their filthy Saudi pocket money.mandoist02-05-2024
- Brilliantly said Elena.MrAndreeva02-05-2024
- "Shut your mouth, Shut your mouth" (remember that, Loser?)mandoist01-05-2024
- Mental illness is hard to deal with under pressure... especially when one is a spoiled brat. Don't go away mad Osta -- just go away.mandoist01-05-2024
