Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko touched the Ukrainian flag on her shirt as she shook hands with Iga Swiatek at the net following their Rome meeting. Poland’s Swiatek has been very outspoken in her support for Ukraine ever since Russia invaded the country in 2022 February.
Last year, Swiatek organized a charity event in Poland, with all the proceeds going to the Ukraine relief fund. In recent months, Ukrainian players haven’t been shaking hands with Russian/Belarusian players because they feel most of them support their respective governments.
After suffering a 6-2 6-0 loss to Swiatek in the Rome third round, Tsurenko wanted to show everyone how she as a Ukrainian feels about Swiatek.
Tsurenko touches the Ukrainian flag on her shirt as she shakes hands with Swiatek.
Warmth and appreciation in her words and actions at the net towards someone who has been steadfast in her support of Ukraine and Ukrainian players.
pic.twitter.com/1K8UiL508E — The Tennis Podcast (@TennisPodcast) May 14, 2023
Tsurenko’s act shows the respect she has for Swiatek
In an interview for the BBC in April, Swiatek suggested tennis could have sent a strong message by banning Russian and Belarusian players when the invasion first started.
“I heard that after World War Two, German players were not allowed as…
