Due to the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, there is tension when players from the two countries are present. Ukrainian players have come out and said that they won’t shake hands with Russian and Belarusian players until the conflict ends. Elina Svitolina is one player who has this policy. She maintained it during her bout against Victoria Azarenka. However, after Svitolina’s victory, a gesture by Azarenka infuriated the fans. The Belarusian player was jeered as she went for the presser, blaming a drunk crowd for the hostility.

While Azarenka was booed at Wimbledon, Svitolina went through a similar event during the French Open. After a quarterfinal bout against Aryna Sabalenka, Svitolina walked off without shaking her hand while Sabalenka was already at the net for a shake. The crowd did not enjoy the display and jeered at Svitolina as she left.

Victoria Azarenka catches herself during presser

After a thrilling fourth-round match, Svitolina emerged victorious over Azarenka with a score of 2-6, 6-4, 7-6. Svitolina was joyous to be moving on to the final stages. Following her policy, the Ukrainian player walked off Court 1. Aware of her policy, Azarenka left without attempting to shake her hands, although the two shared a nod of acknowledgment, and Azarenka waved at Svitolina. 

“I’m not sure that a lot of people were understanding what’s happening, so… It’s probably been a lot of pimps — Pimm’s throughout the day,” she said as she caught herself from making the mistake. Pimm’s is a tradition of Wimbledon. Each year, for the last 50 years, several hundred liters of Pimm’s are served at the grass slam venue.

But this was not a gesture fans enjoyed. As she left, she was the center of several jeers and then received hostile words. As she left, she banged her hands together in anger at the treatment. In the post-match conference, the Belarusian player blamed the crowd for being drunk for such a treatment. But as she explained the possible cause for such hostile treatment, Azarenka had an unfortunate slip of the tongue.

Read more – Days After Getting Booed by Paris Fans, 28-Year-Old Elina Svitolina Shows Love for Ukraine With a Sincere Move at WTA Birmingham Open

Over time, the alcoholic percentage of the drink has been reduced to subvert a rowdy crowd. However, Azarenka blames the drink as she attempts to find a reason for the hostility of the crowd. 

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