"How long are we going to talk about that?" - Victoria Azarenka frustrated as questions about lack of handshakes amidst Russia-Ukraine war drag on
Victoria Azarenka is tired of constantly being questioned about the lack of handshakes between Ukrainians and Russians/Belarusians on tour. The former World No. 1 doesn't care about the issue at all and is bemused why others still continue to.
Azarenka took on Ukrainian No. 1 Elina Svitolina in the first round of the 2023 Citi Open on Tuesday, suffering a straight-set loss. The two also faced off in the fourth round of the recently concluded Wimbledon Championships, where Svitolina prevailed in three sets.
Following their SW19 meeting, the duo exchanged no handshake, keeping with the decision every Ukrainian player has made since the start of the war early last year. Azarenka, though, was booed by fans afterwards, as many did not realize why there was no net exchange and presumed a lack of sportsmanship on the Belarusian's part.
At the Citi Open, no such misunderstanding happened, as the WTA announced midway through the match that no hands will be shook at the end because of the war. No boos were directed at Azarenka, who even gave Elina Svitolina a thumbs up before leaving the court.
At her press conference afterwards, the 34-year-old was questioned about what she thought of the announcement. Azarenka was not impressed and wondered why it was interesting for journalists to keep writing the same thing over and over again.
She does not care about the lack of handshake, saying that it's a just tennis match for her and that she has moved on from the matter without any second thoughts. She also made it clear that she respects Svitolina's position on the situation.
"I don't care. I mean, how long are we going to talk about that, really? Is that a big story? Is this interesting for people to keep writing the same thing over and over again?"
"I mean, it's just, to me, I don't care. We just move on. We play tennis match. As I said in Wimbledon, I accept, respect somebody's position. That's it. No more," Victoria Azarenka said.
The former World No. 1 also took a sarcastic dig at the WTA for arriving late to the party by about 18 months:
"Well, I think we are about how many, 18 months too late with making this? So, happy? I don't know."
"It was disappointing, but I felt that I played the right way" - Victoria Azarenka on Citi Open loss to Elina Svitolina
Turning her attention to the match, Victoria Azarenka admitted that she's "disappointed" with the result. At the same time, she feels she played the "right" way and hopes to build on the platform in what's left of the season.
"Obviously disappointing to not being able to kind of turn it around. I felt that I played quite the right way. Just execution wasn't quite there. She played better in the key moments. I kept missing a little bit there and there, so it was disappointing for sure for result, but I felt that I played the right way. Hopefully I can build on for that."
"After a break, it's never easy to kind of, you know, get back right into it, but, you know, in the end of the day, it's moving on and keep going," Victoria Azarenka said.
Up next, the former World No. 1 will be in action at the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open, following which she will look to win her third Grand Slam title at the US Open.