Key takeaways:
- Victoria Azarenka was booed off court at Wimbledon after an exhilarating three-hour contest against Ukrainian rival Elina Svitolina.
- Azarenka was expecting not to shake hands with Svitolina, who had decided after Russia invaded Ukraine last year that she would not shake hands with players from that country and Belarus.
- Azarenka said the booing aimed at her was “unfair” and that Svitolina “doesn’t want to shake hands with Russian, Belarusian people.”
Victoria Azarenka was left bemused and shaking her head after being booed off court at Wimbledon on Sunday. The Belarusian had just played her part in an exhilarating three-hour contest against Ukrainian rival Elina Svitolina, which needed a third-set match tiebreak to decide the winner.
Azarenka was expecting to leave the court without a handshake from Svitolina, who had decided after Russia invaded Ukraine last year that she would not shake hands with players from that country and Belarus, Russia’s ally that supports its invasion of Ukraine.
However, what Azarenka did not expect was to be booed off court by the Court One crowd. After stopping in her tracks to face the jeering fans, she banged both fists together above her head and departed the arena with the boos still ringing around her ears.
Azarenka said the booing aimed at her was “unfair.” She added that Svitolina “doesn’t want to shake hands with Russian, Belarusian people.”
The match between the two mothers had been billed as the ‘battle of the mums’. Azarenka’s run at the tournament had come to an end, and as she walked toward the umpire stand, grabbed her bag and left the court – without shaking Svitolina’s hand – the crowd booed her.
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