The second rocket of the world, Belarusian Arina Sobolenko, was waiting for a Ukrainian woman near the grid for a handshake, but Elina Svitolina defiantly did not even look in the direction of her opponent and went to the exit from the court. Fans at Roland Garros booed the Ukrainian, and fans on social networks called Svitolina a scammer.
Sobolenko is trying to piss off the whole tournament A new match of the French Open tennis championship and a new scandal related to Ukraine. Throughout the tournament, everyone discussed the behavior of Ukrainian and Russian tennis players, some of whom were booed. The quarter-final bout between Belarusian Arina Sobolenko and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina had obvious potential for controversy.
Arina has already met with the representative of Ukraine Marta Kostyuk in the first round of Roland Garros and predictably defeated her opponent in straight sets. After that game, Kostyuk refused to shake hands and was obstructed by the fans. Sobolenko was subsequently attacked by a Ukrainian journalist with provocative questions about politics, as a result of which the Belarusian woman twice refused open press conferences.
Sobolenko tried to remain calm, but in the match against Svitolina it was noticeable that this was not just a game for her. Arina understood that no matter how this quarter-final ended, it would still not be tennis that would be discussed. The Belarusian made a lot of mistakes, but still defeated the Ukrainian in two sets and reached the semifinals of the French Open for the first time in her career. Unfortunately, this achievement was blurred by the behavior of Svitolina.
“The only thing that was embarrassing was the behavior of the Ukrainian woman” After the end of the match, Sobolenko went to the net to thank her opponent for the game, but she slipped past, ignoring Arina's gesture. Svitolina could not help but see her, so she did it on purpose. Someone can say that the Belarusian also specifically went to the net in order to provoke the Ukrainian, realizing that she most likely would not shake her hand. In any case, the main claims of the French stands were directed specifically at Svitolina, who was booed when she left the court. Fans on social media got it right too.
- «Ukrainian scammer deserves this because she doesn't respect the principles of the sport,» wrote Ibrahim#22.
- «No circumstances can justify disrespect for the opponent. The only thing that was embarrassing in this match was the behavior of the Ukrainian,» said Han Solo.
- «Then you can't shake hands with players from the US and other NATO countries. Sobolenko and the Russians have nothing to do with it, people are just tired of double standards,» Tennis Girl said.
- «The match ended faster than Zelensky's counteroffensive. Go ahead, Sobolenko,» Monkey said.
- «Humiliating behavior by Svitolina and no less humiliating words by the commentator , who obviously did not want the defeat of the Ukrainian and did not pay any attention to Sobolenko's game,» wrote Dystainak.
- «Ukrainian tennis players have lost my respect. Now there is no sympathy for them,» — said Farzin Shookoh.
The French public is sensitive to fake, there are many smart people who can read between the lines. Fans want to watch tennis and discuss sports, not handshakes and political issues. Especially when this policy becomes painfully intrusive and unpleasant.