Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina is set to take on Belarusian rival Victoria Azarenka at Wimbledon today and says she will continue not shaking hands with players from countries backing Russia's invasion of her homeland.
Belarus have supported Russia invasion, with president Alexander Lukashenko one of Vladimir Putin's closest allies and both Russian and Belarusian players were banned from competing at last year's Wimbledon. That ban has since been lifted for the ongoing tournament, meaning players like Azarenka are able to compete.
Svitolina was booed at the French Open for not shaking hands with Belarusian player Aryna Sabalenka after their quarter-final match. "I was expecting that and it was not a surprise for me," she said, before accusing Sabalenka of inflaming the situation by waiting at the net for a handshake.
