Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk defended her “conscious choice” to speak about the war in her country during the awards ceremony of a tournament in Brisbane, a preparatory event for the Australian Open.
The world number 20 did not greet Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, world number 1, who defeated her in the final of the Brisbane International Tournament on Sunday in straight sets (6/4 and 6/3).
Like many Ukrainian players, Kostyuk refuses to shake hands with Russians or Belarusians following Moscow’s invasion of his country.
“I want to say a few words about Ukraine,” the 23-year-old tennis player said in her speech during the awards ceremony on the Australian court. “I play every day with a heavy heart, and there are thousands of people right now without electricity and hot water. It’s twenty degrees below zero outside, and it’s very painful to live that reality every day,” she said, her voice breaking.
Ceremonies following the final usually involve players congratulating their opponents. However, Kostyuk thanked “all the rivals” he faced this week.
Sabalenko, who has already stated that he does not support the war, congratulated Kostyuk on reaching the final in his on-court speech.
On Instagram, where some users accused Kostyuk of unsportsmanlike conduct, the Ukrainian wrote: “The words I shared after the match provoked a lot of reactions. For me, it is a conscious choice to keep reminding people what Ukraine and its citizens are going through.”
“Thank you to everyone who has shown their support. And thank you to all the players I faced on the other side of the net this week,” he added.
Both players will be at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, which starts on Sunday (18), where Sabalenka is the favorite to win the title for the third time in four years.
