Kostiuk accused of "promoting political themes" after refusing to shake hands with the Russian at the Australian Open

Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostiuk refused to shake hands with Russian Elina Avanesyan after the third round match of the Australian Open 2024. Our compatriot won a dramatic match with a comeback, and then the athletes did not hold the traditional greeting.

Kostiuk won the last game of the match with zero points and reacted emotionally to her success. At the same time, Avanesyan was the first to approach the net. After looking at the Ukrainian, the representative of the aggressor country approached the referee on the tower to thank him. Our compatriot did the same.

At the same time, the Ukrainian woman's action caused hysteria among some users on X, formerly known as Twitter. They pretended not to understand Marta's move and wished her defeat before the game.

"Kostiuk took a stupid move in that she didn't want to shake hands with her opponent because she was Russian. For this reason alone, I wanted Avanesyan to win", "What happened to athletes who can't drop everything and treat their opponents with respect, regardless of what happens off the court?", "I don't understand why women are still promoting these political topics," users write.

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