In a closely contested match, Victoria Azarenka narrowly missed out on securing a quarterfinal spot at Wimbledon on Sunday. The former world No. 1 faced Elina Svitolina in a thrilling encounter that ended with Svitolina emerging victorious, winning 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (11-9).
The match between the two players provided the No.1 Court audience with an enthralling battle, captivating them throughout. However, despite Azarenka’s passionate performance over a grueling two hours and 46 minutes, she left the court feeling disappointed and disheartened.
It is worth noting that Svitolina has made her stance clear regarding not shaking hands with opponents representing Russia and Belarus. This decision stems from the conflict between Ukraine, Svitolina’s native country, and Russia, which began in February 2022. Belarus has shown support for Russia in this conflict. Unfortunately, the Wimbledon audience seemed unaware of this context, leading to boos directed at Victoria Azarenka when she tried to exit the court before Svitolina’s on-court interview, overshadowing the mutual respect typically shown between competitors at the end of a match.
Victoria Azarenka on getting booed by the crowd
“I can’t control the crowd. I’m not sure that a lot of people were understanding what’s happening,” she said in press. “It’s probably been a lot of pimps—Pimm’s throughout the day. But what can I say about the crowd? There is nothing to say. She doesn’t want to shake hands with Russian, Belarusian people. I respected her decision. What should I have done? Stayed and waited? Like, I mean, there’s no thing that I could do that would have been right, so I just did what I thought was respectful towards her decision.”“I thought it was a great tennis match. If people are going to be focusing only on handshakes or crowd, quite drunk crowd, booing in the end, that’s a shame,” said Azarenka, who shook her head and gestured with her hands as she walked off. “That’s probably what it is in the end of the day,” she added
During the press conference following her match against Elina Svitolina, Azarenka addressed the crowd’s reaction and her response to Svitolina’s decision not to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian players. Azarenka expressed that she couldn’t control the crowd’s behavior and believed that many spectators may not have fully understood the context of the situation. She speculated that the lively atmosphere and the consumption of Pimm’s, a popular alcoholic beverage at Wimbledon, may have influenced the crowd’s reaction.
Victoria Azarenka acknowledged Svitolina’s choice not to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian individuals and stated that she respected that decision. She also mentioned feeling unsure about what the appropriate course of action would have been at that moment. Azarenka opted to leave the court and allow Svitolina to proceed with her on-court interview, as she believed it was the respectful thing to do given Svitolina’s stance.
Azarenka emphasized that she viewed the match as a great display of tennis and expressed disappointment if the focus shifted solely to handshakes or the behavior of the crowd, which she described as being quite intoxicated and concluding with boos. She gestured her frustration as she walked off the court, suggesting her dismay at the situation. Azarenka indicated that, ultimately, it was a regrettable outcome that overshadowed the quality of the tennis played.
It is evident that Azarenka attempted to handle the situation with grace and respect for Svitolina’s decision, while also expressing her disappointment at the crowd’s behavior. The focus on handshakes and the crowd’s intoxication detracted from the competitive nature of the match, which Azarenka believed deserved more attention.
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