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.