"It's a sign for me": US tournament champion explains why she didn't shake hands with Russian

Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk, who won her first career tournament last weekend, did not shake hands with Russian Varvara Gracheva, in part because Gracheva did not condemn the war in our country. The 20-year-old from Kyiv ignored her opponent after the final match at the ATX Open in Austin, which had been agreed with the organisers in advance.

Kostyuk told about this in an interview with the Ukrainian Tennis portal. She noted that she immediately made it clear that she would not be photographed with the representative of the aggressor country, nor would she congratulate her. According to Marta, by her silence, Gracheva actually supported Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

"Yes, Varvara did not express to me personally or publicly her condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine or her condemnation of the actions of the authorities of her country, so for me this is a certain sign that in her heart she supports what is happening now, supports the war. My behaviour was planned in advance. I immediately warned them that I would not shake hands or take photos, so the organisers were prepared for this - it was not a surprise to them. They are generally very understanding, so there were no questions," said the tennis player.

It should be noted that after defeating Gracheva in the ATX Open final, Marta dedicated her debut title to her compatriots with the words "Glory to Ukraine!".

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova said that Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk did not shake hands with Russian Varvara Gracheva, allegedly because Ukrainian athletes are hostages of the state.

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