Revealed: Real Reason Behind Jelena Ostapenko’s Brutal Gesture Towards Victoria Azarenka

Victoria Azarenka recently gained a massive win over Jelena Ostapenko to earn a spot in the quarter-finals. While everyone enjoyed the intense action that the match featured, an unusual incident happened after the match that drove the attention of not just the commentators, and fans but the whole media.

Recently, Latvia imposed a ban on all of its sports teams to engage in sporting activity against Russia or Belarus. As Azarenka fell into the criteria of Ostapenko’s nation’s announcement, she honored it by not shaking hands with her opponent.

Jelena Ostapenko raises her racket instead of a handshake after losing against Victoria Azarenka

The crowd in Doha experienced a unique incident as Latvian tennis star Jelena Ostapenko made an unusual move during her match against Belarusian player Victoria Azarenka. Instead of offering a regular handshake, Ostapenko raised her racket, respecting Latvia’s firm stance against Belarus. As Azarenka secured a 6-0, 6-3 victory with her dominant performance, Ostapenko’s gesture added a broader geopolitical angle to the sport.

This happened in consideration of support for Ukraine as Latvia banned its sports teams from competing against Russian or Belarusian squads, regardless of the fact that they’re playing under a neutral flag. Latvia’s parliament confirmed this stance, announcing, “The main purpose of the amendments to the law is to reiterate Latvia’s solidarity with Ukraine and to block any Russian efforts to legitimize its war crimes through the sports industry.”

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This ban on sports matches with Russian and Belarusian teams not only marked the nation’s support for Ukraine but also rained its impact on the tennis courts. As the heat continues to grow, the upcoming Olympic games seem to be in the area of concern now.

Azarenka regards Ostapenko’s moves as ‘comical’

This isn’t the first time when Victoria Azarenka got involved in a heated rivalry against Jelena Ostapenko. Back when Azarenka gained a victory over the Latvian at the Australian Open, she talked about the moves that she performed, calling them comical.

“I can’t speak for how she feels and why she does it. I don’t know. Some of the line callings, I mean, it can be a bit comical. I’m like, Whatever. What are you going to do?” said the Belarusian tennis star. As the tennis world now deals with a rivalry that has its roots associated with politics, it still remains to be seen how far it extends.

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