(Provided by Tennis World USA)
The French Open crowd booedMarta Kostyuk off the court following the Ukrainian’s refusal to shake hands with Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka, seeded at No 2, saw off Kostyuk 6-3 6-2 in the French Open first round.
As expected, Kostyuk didn’t shake Sabalenka’s hand after the match. The French Open crowd didn’t appreciate it as they immediately started booing Kostyuk. As Kostyuk was exiting the court, the French Open crowd had more boos for Kostyuk.
Aryna Sabalenka taking a bow.
Marta Kostyuk is being booed after the match for not shaking hands.
There’s a lot happening at Roland Garros right now. pic.twitter.com/TWHdQhB4Ue — The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 28, 2023
Sabalenka thought she was being booed, not Kostyuk
When the crowd delivered the first boos, Sabalenka looked stunned as she thought she was the one receiving boos.
But moments later, Sabalenka realized that it was Kostyuk who was on the receiving end of criticism. “I thought the boos were against me so I felt a bit surprised. But then I felt your support,” Sabalenka told the crowd in her on-court interview.
In her press conference, Sabalenka confirmed she initially…
