“People should be ashamed!” Booed Sunday at Roland Garros for refusing to shake hands with her Belarusian rival, Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk did not understand the hostile attitude of part of the French public. “What happened today, I must admit that I did not expect it,” reacted the player, beaten by world number 2, Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 6-2.
“When I was in the UK last year, people reacted differently, even on the streets. I felt very supported,” recalled the player, whose last trip to Ukraine was in March.
Born twenty years ago in Kiev, the city where her father and grandfather still live and where two people died in a Russian drone attack the night before the match, according to the report of the Ukrainian authorities, Kostyuk blames the ATP and WTA for being too accommodating to Russian and Belarusian players.
“I want to see how people react in 10 years when the war is over. I think they won’t be satisfied with themselves when they think back to what they did. I said I wasn’t going to shake hands and I don’t know why people thought I would change my mind. I feel like they support me in the different tournaments. People who booed should be embarrassed, honestly,” the player said.
“We sent pretty strong emails (to the governing bodies). They told us that they were working on it, that they wanted to help us as much as possible, and then nothing changed,” she sighed.
Many international federations banned Russians and Belarusians from their competitions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but with the exception of the selection competitions (Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup), they can participate in professional tennis circuits, under a neutral banner.
Kostyuk also criticizes the silence of her adversary of the day, whom she asks to condemn the invasion. Sabalenka “may be world No.1 at the end of the tournament, in one of the most famous sports in the world. By simply speaking up, she could send a ‘message’.” “Failing to take responsibility by giving your opinion on one of the most important issues in the world, I don’t respect that,” she said.
“I think she should only speak for herself.” I personally know players who support the war,” Kostyuk replied.