WTA release statement about post-match handshakes after Svitolina-Azarenka incident, says they respect the position of Ukrainian players

Monday, 10 July 2023 at 22:12

WTA are the first organisation to release a statement amid the Elina Svitolina - Victoria Azarenka incident at Wimbledon.

It saw Azarenka being booed off court despite showing respect for Svitolina in similar scenes to Daria Kasatkina at Roland Garros and even the Ukrainian herself for not shaking hands with Aryna Sabalenka.

Svitolina called on the organisations to release a statement before matches in future to clarify the position and to help fans understand why its done.

The WTA said they understand the position of the Ukrainian players and clarified there wouldn't be handshakes going forward as was their prior decision.

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"Following the unfortunate circumstances and misunderstanding in yesterday’s match at Wimbledon (along with other matches the past several weeks), the WTA would like to provide clarity around post-match handshakes.

"Due to the ongoing reprehensible war, the WTA respects the position of the Ukrainian athletes in foregoing the tradition of shaking opponents’ hands (from Russia and Belarus) at the end of a match, as this is a personal decision. We have some of the best fans in the world and are grateful for their passion and dedication, and we thank them for their understanding and respect for the athletes."

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WTA Statement on post-match handshakes: Following the unfortunate circumstances and misunderstanding in yesterday’s match at @Wimbledon (along with other matches the past several weeks), the WTA would like to provide clarity around post-match handshakes. Due to the ongoing

8:01 PM · Jul 10, 2023

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