Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina calls Russian opponent ‘brave’ following French Open win | CNN

[ad_1] CNN  —  Tennis player Elina Svitolina called her opponent, Russian Daria Kasatkina, a “brave one” following the Ukrainian’s upset win on Sunday. Svitolina, who previously said she would not shake hands with Russian and Belarusian opponents out of respect for the men and women defending Ukraine, told reporters that she “acknowledged” Kasatkina after the…

Read More

Aryna Sabalenka opts out of French Open press conference, saying she ‘did not feel safe’ at last press conference | CNN

[ad_1] CNN  —  World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka did not participate in a customary post-match press conference after her third-round win at the French Open on Friday, saying she didn’t feel safe when participating in a press conference held earlier this week. On Wednesday, after winning in the second round of the tournament, the Belarusian…

Read More

Ukrainian tennis player refuses to shake Russian opponent’s hand after semifinal victory | CNN

[ad_1] CNN  —  Ukrainian tennis player Anhelina Kalinina refused to shake hands with Veronika Kudermetova, her Russian opponent, following the former’s victory in the semifinals of the Rome Masters in Italy on Friday. Speaking to reporters after the match at Foro Italico, Rome, Kalinina said, “We didn’t shake hands because the girl is from Russia…

Read More

Four Australian Open spectators ‘revealed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards,’ organizer says | CNN

[ad_1] CNN  —  Four people who were attending the Australian Open were questioned by Victoria Police after they “revealed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards,” a Tennis Australia spokesperson told CNN on Wednesday. “Four people in the crowd leaving the stadium revealed inappropriate flags and symbols and threatened security guards,” the Tennis Australia…

Read More

Russia’s Daria Kasatkina says it ‘makes a lot of sense’ for Ukrainian tennis players to receive support during grass-court season | CNN

[ad_1] CNN  —  Daria Kasatkina, Russia’s top-ranked female tennis player, has praised the decision of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and Wimbledon to support Ukrainian tennis players during the grass-court tennis season. After Wimbledon announced that Russian and Belarusian players would be able to compete at this year’s tournament, organizers said they would cover the…

Read More

Azerbaijan calls for sanctions over tennis player’s pro-Armenia messages at the Australian Open | CNN

[ad_1] CNN  —  Azerbaijan’s tennis federation has called for Karen Khachanov to be sanctioned after the Russian player expressed support for the Armenian-majority population living in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region at the Australian Open. Khachanov, who has Armenian heritage, has written “Artsakh stay strong” on TV cameras after matches in Melbourne. Artsakh is the Armenian…

Read More