Tennis
Elina SVITOLINA: “Why don’t we shake hands with the Russians? This is the position of the Ukrainians”
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina (WTA 192) held a press conference after defeating Anna Blinkova (WTA 56) in the round of 16 at the French Open 2023.
Elina explained in detail to reporters why Ukrainian athletes did not shake hands with representatives of 404 countries:
– I want to ask a very direct question, but would you like Russian and Belarusian players to say “Yes, I want my country to stop this war”? Do you think this will be helpful and what can they do?
– Yes, I would love to. Definitely. I think almost all Ukrainians would like to hear this from their side.
– Continuing with the topic, can you explain to us why you didn’t shake hands with your opponent today? What do you think about booing the audience when you are supported even though the fans are behind you during the match?
– You know, our government, which went to meetings with the Russian government, started with the Ukrainian government. They were against the handshake because they obviously do not share the same values and what they did is the same as what the Russians did to our country.
That’s why Ukrainians don’t shake hands with Russians. We are Ukrainians, we are all united for one purpose, for the sake of victory in this war, and we are doing everything we can for this, this is our position.
I am Ukrainian. I stand for my country. I am doing my best to support and give a good mood to the men and women who are currently on the front lines fighting for our land, for our country.
Can you imagine a boy or girl on the front lines looking at me right now and I’m acting like nothing happened? I represent my country. I have a voice I am on the Ukrainian side. I stand, I have my position in this war. What the Russian government or Russian soldiers have done on our land is truly terrible.
For us, it’s just our position on the matter, and it covers a lot of different areas. This applies to sports, acting and other things, it affects various fields. So, you know, we are all one Ukrainians. And this is our position.
– In the next round you will play with Kasatkina. He was against the war in Ukraine. He spoke louder than anyone else in Russia on this subject. I wonder what you think of him and what he does.
– Yes, I am grateful to Dasha for taking such a position. This is what we expect from others. That’s very brave for him.
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
18 years old “neutral” Mirra Andreeva He sent fans away after the match at the Australian Open 2026.
On January 21, Andreeva defeated Maria Sakkari in the 1/32 final with scores of 6:0 and 6:4. After the end of the fight, Mirra said “Fuck you all” to applauding fans. Naturally, this was inaudible, but you can literally read this sentence on your lips.
On the 23rd, Romanian Elena-Gabriela Ruse will play against Andreeva. The meeting will start around 12:00 Kyiv time.
VIDEO. “To hell with you all” Andreeva told fans after her match at the Australian Open
Did he say what I thought he said???? 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/qH9hxmE0VX
— Lorena Popa 🕵️♀️🎾 (@popalorena) January 21, 2026
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
January 23 Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina (WTA 12) The Australian Open will continue to be competed in 2026.
In the third round, the Ukrainian will play against a “neutral” team Diana Schneider (WTA 22). The match will start at 10:00 Kyiv time at Margaret Court Arena.
The best moments of tennis matches LIVE on Telegram channel Tennis on Sport.ua
This will be the first head-to-head meeting between the rivals.
The winner of the fight will face Elena-Gabriela Ruse or Diana Schneider in the second round.
Video player will be added later…
DAY CALENDAR
TOURNAMENT TABLE
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
22 January at Australian Open 2026 1/32 final matches were played in the lower group of men’s singles.
Number two in the ATP world rankings and current champion Jannik the Sinner He defeated James Duckworth. He will then compete with Italian player Eliot Spizzirri.
Distinguished Novak Djokovic He coped with Francesco Maestrelli without any problems. Novak’s next opponent will be Botik van de Zandshulp.
The best moments of tennis matches LIVE on Telegram channel Tennis on Sport.ua
Old Marin Cilic and Stan Wawrinka also advanced to the third round by knocking out Denis Shapovalov and Arthur Hea respectively.
Hubert Hurkacz’s loss to Ethan Quinn was quite unexpected and came in three sets.
Among Thursday’s top 10 players, Lorenzo Musetti (beat Lorenzo Sonego), Ben Shelton (beat Dane Sweeney) and Taylor Fritz (beat Vit Koprzyva) won their second-round matches on Thursday.
On the 21st of the month, the 1/32 upper group final took place in Melbourne, and as a result, the star Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz took one step forward.
Australian Open 2026. 1/16 last pair
topnet
Carlos Alcaraz [1] – Corentin Moutet [32]
Tommy Paul [19] – Alejandro Davidovic Fokina [14]
Alexander Bublik [10] – Thomas Martin Etcheverry
Francis Tiafoe [29] – Alex de Minaur [6]
Alexander Zverev [3] – Cameron Norrie [26]
Francisco Cherundolo [18] – Andrey Rublev [13]
Daniil Medvedev [11] – Fabian Marozan
Lerner Tien [25] – Nuno Borges
bottom of the network
Lorenzo Musetti [5] – Tomas Machac
Stan Wawrinka [WC] – Taylor Fritz [9]
Yakub Menshik [16] – Ethan Quinn
Botik van de Zandshulp – Novak Djokovic [4]
Ben Shelton [8] – Valentin Vachereau [30]
Marin Cilic Casper Ruud [12]
Karen Khachanov [15] – Luciano Darderi [22]
Eliot Spizziri – Jannik the Sinner [2]
Source: Sport UA
I am a sports journalist who has worked in print and online. I have authored articles for a sports website and have covered sports news for over 6 years.
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