Miami Open star’s statement resurfaces on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

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Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostjuk has found herself the centre of attention following her relationship with a rival from Russia. The 20-year-old refused to shake hands with Anastasija Potapova after losing to her in the second round of the Miami Open last week.

Kostyuk had already made her feelings on Russian and Belarusian players clear before arriving in America. After winning her maiden ATP event at the ATX Open in Texas this month, the world No 40 refused a hand shake and photograph with runner-up, Varvara Gracheva.

She was one of a group of Ukrainian players who asked for their Russian and Belarusian colleagues to be banned from playing at Wimbledon in 2022. The All England Tennis Club duly obliged, although the tournament was stripped of ranking points as a sanction.

Kostjuk said after her defeat to the Russian: “I may not greet some players, but I have never personally addressed any of them in that way. Maybe I spread hatred just because I was here. What is evident is that there is tension. We are at this moment in time.

“I was disappointed when the war started. Especially when we came to Indian Wells. We expected that they would come to us, ask us how we are, how our family is. That didn’t happen. I realised that we are not friends and that we will never be friends. It’s disappointing.”

The Lawn Tennis Association and the All England Club are currently weighing whether to allow players from the two countries to play at this summer’s grass events in the United Kingdom.

Russian and Belarusian players were banned from Wimbledon last year, resulting in the stripping of ranking points from the tournament and a fine.

Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine has been raging for one year now as the conflict continues to record devastating casualties and force the mass displacement of millions of blameless Ukrainians.

Ukrainian cities in the east and south have been battered by Russian missiles in pursuit of gradual gains, while the targeting of residential buildings, hospitals and even nurseries and memorials have led to outraged accusations of civilians being intentionally targeted and of war crimes being committed on a massive scale.

Since the beginning of the war on 24 February 2022, around 180,000 Russian and 100,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed or wounded, and 30,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, according to Norway’s Defence Chief, Eirik Kristoffersen.

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