Ukrainian tennis player Lesia Tsurenko REFUSES to shake hands with Russia’s Daria Kasatkina after Madrid Open loss after admitting her greatest wish is ‘that the war ends’
- Kasatkina emerged victorious from the third round of the Madrid Open
- Tsurenko from Ukraine refused to shake hands with the Russian and the number 8 in the world
- Tsurenko previously admitted that her greatest wish is ‘that the war ends’
Amidst all the tension between players from Russia and Ukraine, a somewhat poignant scene played out on Arantxa Sanchez’s field at the Madrid Open.
After being beaten 6-4 6-2 in the third round, Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko, as is now customary, refused to shake hands with Daria Kasatkina, the world number eight and Russia’s number one.
Kasatkina lingered by her opponent’s chair as their paths crossed at the end and gave her opponent a weak sheepish gesture. Unusually, Tsurenko replied with a small but discernible acknowledgment.
Hardly peace in our time, but it may have been an admission that of all the aggressor nation players, Kasatkina is the most difficult to associate with her country’s conduct on matters infinitely more important.
She was the bravest of all her compatriots in speaking out about the geopolitical situation, and on Sunday again referred to what the Russian military is doing as “war.”
Lesia Tsurenko refused to shake hands with Daria Kasatkina after their match in Madrid
The pair acknowledged each other but did not shake hands after their match ended
Tsurenko went to the airport after the defeat, but Kasatkina stayed to answer questions
Her feelings were already made clear last summer when she stated in a YouTube interview that her greatest wish in life was “for the war to end,” which she described as a “complete nightmare.”
Nine months later, the military confrontation is still going on, but the Russian and Belarusian players are doing it very successfully. Never more than this week with eight women and six men through to the third round of Spain’s biggest tournament.
Wimbledon’s suspension has crumbled under pressure from the ATP and WTA Tours, who she says have been extremely generous to the people of her country compared to other sports.
Tsurenko headed straight for the airport after Sunday’s defeat, but Kasatkina lingered, showing that she keeps her sense of perspective when answering questions.
Tsurenko previously admitted that her greatest wish in life was ‘that the war ends’
Kasatkina won 6-4 6-2 in the third round of the Madrid Open as Tsurenko was eliminated
Kasatkina admitted that she accepts the reasons why Tsurenko doesn’t want to shake hands
When asked if she was sad when opponents refused to shake hands, she replied: “The saddest thing is that the war is still going on, so of course the players from Ukraine have many reasons not to shake hands with us and I accept that. It. It’s a very sad situation. I understand them and I was actually glad she waved back at me.’
Kasatkina has already signed her declaration of neutrality that will be required to participate in SW19 this summer, clearly without reluctance.
“I’m happy, I was very sad to miss Wimbledon last year – although it was not for nothing – but it was still painful. To be honest, we are the happiest sport (to be Russian) because we can still compete, as 95 percent of athletes from Russia cannot go out and compete in international events. We really appreciate this opportunity to be on the international stage.”
She also endorsed Wimbledon’s policy announced last week that Ukrainian players will receive preferential treatment this year when it comes to building practice facilities and providing two free hotel rooms for the duration of the grass season.
“Most of their players can’t go back to their practice bases, they can’t go home, so it makes a lot of sense to give them the chance to practice in London. They always have to be on the road and pay for their accommodation, so I think it makes a lot of sense,” said Kasatkina.
The Russian who lives in Barcelona knows all about not being able to go home. In her candid interview last summer, she came out as gay – she is in a relationship with skater Natalia Zabiiako – and wondered if it would ever be possible to return to her native country because of her sexuality and views on the war.