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Marta Kostyuk refused to shake hands with her Russian competitor
Photo:
Rob Prange / ZUMA Wire / IMAGO
The Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostjuk caused a stir after her first tournament victory on the WTA tour with a refused handshake.
After her 6: 3, 7: 5 win against the Russian Varvara Gracheva in the Austin final, she refrained from the obligatory gesture at the net.
"I would like to dedicate this title to Ukraine and all the people who are currently fighting and dying," said the 20-year-old at the award ceremony to applause from the audience: "It's obviously a very special moment."
Kostjuk also criticized Djokovic's father
After her converted match point, Kostjuk, who has risen from 52nd to 40th in the world rankings as a result of her success, fell to the ground crying.
She had already refused to shake hands with Belarusian Viktoria Asarenka at the US Open last year.
She also openly criticized the father of Grand Slam record winner Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open in January.
Srdjan Djoković was filmed with fans displaying a Russian flag and pro-Russian symbols after his son reached the semi-finals.
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