NEW DELHI: Ukrainian junior tennis player Yelyzaveta Kotliar has issued a heartfelt apology after facing criticism from her national tennis federation for shaking hands with her Russian opponent, Vlada Mincheva, at the Australian Open.
The incident occurred during the first round of the girls' tournament, defying an unwritten rule among Ukrainian players to refrain from congratulating Russian and Belarusian opponents due to the ongoing conflict in their homeland.
