Aryna Sabalenka kick-started her French Open campaign with a straight sets win over Marta Kostyuk. But the real drama unfolded after the match had concluded, with Kostyuk, who is from Ukraine, refused to shake her opponents hand who is from Belarus. Sabalenka, who has gotten used to a considerable amount of hate in recent times due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, understandably mistook the crowd’s reaction to be targeted at her. But she was in for a pleasant surprise.
Following the conclusion of the match that Sabalenka won 6-3, 6-2, Kostyuk walked straight to her bench without offering a handshake as is customary in a tennis match. While this was not surprising given the fact that it’s been happening for a while now, what followed was certainly surprising. Sabalenka took a sarcastic bow in a show of defiance to the French crowd that was booing before realizing what was really going on.
Aryna Sabalenka takes a bow
As Aryna Sabalenka and her opponent Marta Kostyuk walked towards their respective benches after wrapping up the match, the crowd in the Phillippe Chatrier started booing. Similar to possibly most viewers not physically present in the arena, the Belarusian thought the boos were for her and reacted accordingly. She took a sarcastic bow, before heading towards her bench once again. She then asked the chair umpire if the boos were for her and when told otherwise, walked back on the court to applaud the crowd.
Aryna Sabalenka taking a bow.
Marta Kostyuk is being booed after the match for not shaking hands.
There’s a lot happening at Roland Garros right now. pic.twitter.com/TWHdQhB4Ue
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 28, 2023
While the absence of a handshake was very much expected, the crowd’s reaction was a pleasant surprise for Aryan Sabalenka who is certain to take a lot of confidence from this. Support from the crowd is always good to have for a tennis player. But a crowd that is actively opposing you can be very nerve-wracking. And this is something Sabalenka has been facing, as are many Russian and Belarusian players.
In the press conference before the match, Sabalenka had addressed the possibility, or rather inevitability, of a lack of a handshake at the end.
“I kind of can understand them,” she said on Friday, “like I imagine they’re going to shake hands with Russians and Belarusians, and then they’re gonna get so many messages from their home country. So I kind of understand why they are not doing it. At the same time, I feel like sports shouldn’t be in politics. Like we’re just athletes. If they feel good with no shaking hands, I’m happy with that.”
Kostyuk has been a staunch advocate for banning Russian and Belarusian players from the circuit, becoming something of a spokesperson for the same. She has been refusing to shake hands with opponents from these two nations but this is possibly the first time she has gotten immediate flak from spectators.
