"It is my war": What happened when Ukraine's Svitolina and Belarus' Sabalenka met

The ongoing situation in Ukraine has broad-reaching consequences, not least when Ukrainian Elina Svitolina failed to beat the world number two, Aryna Sabalenka in Rome. The Belarussian player won via a third set tie-break, but it was the post-match conduct between the two that really caught the eye, with neither player offering a handshake....

At the end of the match, both tennis players exchanged a couple of quick glances and then turned to the match referee and shook his hand. However, between Svitolina and Sabalenka there was zero physical contact.

There are many Ukrainian athletes who, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, have avoided having any contact with Russian or Belarusian athletes. In this case, Elina Svitolina was a clear example of this.

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"For me, it is very sad and frustrating that people do not understand this," the Ukrainian tennis player recently commented in statements to Supertennis TV. "It is obvious not to shake hands when I have so many friends on the front fighting for Ukraine."

You cannot "shake hands as if nothing had happened," she continued. According to the Ukrainian player, politics and sport cannot be separated and, as a representative of her country, her position must be clear to everyone.

“Every time I play I think about those who fight, on the field I feel like a soldier, it is also my war,” said Elina Svitolina in an interview with the Daily Mail.

The match between Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka at the Foro Italico was not the first in this tournament in which the public was able to witness palpable tension between representatives of these two countries.

Previously, Sabalenka quickly defeated the young Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska in straight sets. At the end of the match, Yastremska walked towards the referee and then towards the bench, ignoring her opponent.

Sabalenka also did not attempt any gesture of reconciliation, limiting herself to greeting the public with a quick gesture.

The hopes of a reconciliation between the two countries (at least in the sporting field) were all pinned on the May 13 meeting between Svitolina and Sabalenka.

But it couldn't be, and it seems that things will still have to be like this for a while until the conflict is resolved. Let us know what you think in the comments!

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