Ukraine Foreign Minister rips French Open crowd for booing Marta Kostyuk: Visit Bucha



by DZEVAD MESIC

Ukraine Foreign Minister rips French Open crowd for booing Marta Kostyuk: Visit Bucha

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba sent a message of support to Marta Kostyuk after the Ukrainian tennis player was booed off the court for refusing to shake hands with Belarusia's Aryna Sabalenka. On Monday, Kostyuk refused to shake hands with Sabalenka after the Belarusian handed her a 6-3 6-2 loss in the French Open first round.

The French Open crowd immediately started booing Kostyuk and they hit the Ukrainian with a second wave of boos as she was exiting the court. For quite some time, Kostyuk hasn't been shaking hands with Russian and Belarusian players.

"I support @Marta_Kostyuk, who was booed after refusing to shake hands with Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka. Those who booed need to visit Bucha, where the Russian army came from Belarus and massacred civilians. Or run to a shelter when a Russian jet takes off in Belarus.

Then, boo," Kuleba tweeted.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister stands by Kostyuk

After Kostyuk was booed off the court, she told the French Open crowd that they should "feel embarrassed" over their act.

"I did not expect it. I have no reaction to it but people should be, honestly, embarrassed. I want to know how they will feel about that [booing her] in 10 years, when the war is over. I don’t think they will feel great," Kostyuk said.

When the French Open crowd started booing, Sabalenka initially thought the boos were for her but then realized Kostyuk was getting booed. When Sabalenka was asked about Kostyuk being booed off the court, she insisted that she did not want that to happen.

“I understand why they’re not shaking hands with us. I can imagine if they shake hands with us, what’s going to happen to them from the Ukrainian side. I understand that this isn’t personal. That’s it.

I think she didn’t deserve to leave the court that way," Sabalenka said in her press conference. Kostyuk has been very outspoken in her support for Ukraine ever since the Russian invasion started last February.

French Open Marta Kostyuk