The Ukrainian commented on her decision to refuse to shake hands with Elina Avanesyan, who has represented Armenia since August of this year.
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina after a strong-willed victory over Argentine Maria Lourdes Carle at the start of the 2024 US Open answered the question, why she didn't shake hands with former Russian Elina Avanesyan after she beat her at a recent tournament in Monterrey, Mexico.
It should be noted that Avanesyan was born in the Russian city of Pyatigorsk. Until August 2024, she played for the terrorist state, but now she has received Armenian citizenship.
“Yes, I know that she changed her citizenship, but this is not the only point that is important to me. It is also about having a position that you are against the actions of the Russian authorities and against what is happening in Ukraine, against all the trouble that Russia is causing our innocent people. I have not heard such a position from her. When you change your citizenship for your own benefit, that is one thing. When you change it because you condemn the genocide committed by the Russian army, that is another,” Ukrainian Tennis quotes Svitolina as saying.
Svitolina also commented on the latest massive missile attack on Ukraine by Russian occupiers.
“Yes, I saw the news, I know there were more than 100 rockets… It's very hard. I was checking the news all the time. I was very, very sad to see what was happening today, what happens every day. This day was very, very hard for Ukrainians. It's just a disaster, to be honest, to wake up and see such news, that Ukrainians are suffering so much.
Does it affect my game? I try to switch off, of course, but when you wake up and immediately see such bad news, it affects you mentally, you think about it. Especially when something is wrong, it's natural. At some moments it happens that it affects me a lot. At Wimbledon it was very difficult… When it concerns children, innocent people, it's very hard for me… Extremely,” Elina said.
In the second round of the 2024 US Open, Svitolina will play another Ukrainian, Angelina Kalinina. The match will take place on Wednesday, August 28.
The main draw of the 2024 US Open will run from August 26 to September 8. The current US Open champion is American Cori Gauff, who defeated the “neutral” Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the final last year.
