2023-06-05 15:12:06
PARIS | Russian Daria Kasatkina, who has never been shy about criticizing her President Vladimir Putin and the war, did not understand why she was booed after her loss to Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in the round of 16.
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At the end of the match, won in two sets of 6-4 and 7-6 (5) by Svitolina on Sunday, Kasatkina did not shake hands with her opponent, as she no longer does with the Russians and the Belarusians, whose country supports the invasion of Ukraine.
“I was booed because I respected my rival’s choice not to shake hands,” wrote the ninth seed at Roland Garros on Twitter on Monday.
In front of the crowd on the Suzanne-Lenglen, Kasatkina immediately walked towards the referee as soon as the game was over, before giving a thumbs up as she looked at Svitolina.
The latter replied by making the same sign. Despite this discreet gesture, the 26-year-old Russian was shouted down, as if the spectators did not know her history and believed that she did not want to congratulate one of the favorites of the crowd, the wife of Frenchman Gael Monfils.
“She is courageous”
Kasatkina has always opposed the war in Ukraine, being one of the few Russian athletes to have spoken so clearly on the subject.
“Of course I said hello, and thanked her for the stand she took,” said Svitolina, who gave birth to a baby girl just seven months ago. Of course, I recognize what she did, she is brave. She expressed herself publicly, not many players did. She is courageous.”
The ninth player in the world also came out of the closet publicly, revealing her homosexuality while Russian politicians discussed a bill banning LGBTQ + content in cinemas.
“Elina and I showed mutual respect and after playing a strong game, leaving the court this way was the hardest part of my day,” Kasatkina added on Twitter.
“Be better, love one another. Don’t spread hate. Try to make this world a better place. I will always love Roland-Garros, no matter. See you next year”, she also wrote on the social network.
Facing a Belarusian
For her part, Svitolina will find Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka in the quarter-finals. The world number 2 did not meet the media on Sunday after her victory against the American Sloane Stephens.
It is the second time in the fortnight that Sabalenka has obtained an exemption for not respecting its commitments with journalists.
She had mentioned a few days ago that she did not feel “safe” during her press conference on Wednesday. The 25-year-old athlete would not answer questions about the war in Ukraine, contenting himself with several “no comments”.
“I have said it many times, whether Belarusian or Russian athletes, nobody supports the war, Sabalenka had mentioned at the start of the tournament. How can we support the war? Absolutely not. Why do you have to say this kind of thing loud and clear? It’s obvious. If we could put an end to it, we would do it right away. Unfortunately, that is not our responsibility.”
Insufficient words according to her opponent in the first round, the Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who had been booed for not shaking hands with Sabalenka.
“She never says she doesn’t support this war personally. If the journalists asked her who was going to win the war, I don’t think she was going to answer Ukraine,” reacted Kostyuk, while specifying that Sabalenka, who could become world number 1 at the end of the Paris tournament, could use of his star status to get things done.
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