The war in Ukraine no longer plays a role at the Australia Open. That was different a year ago. Two Ukrainian players criticize this.
With emotional words, the two Ukrainian tennis players Marta Kostyuk and Lesia Tsurenko reminded the world that the Russian war of aggression in their homeland is far from over. “The war is still there. People are still dying every day,” Kostyuk said at the Australian Open.
Kostyuk and Tsurenko refuse to shake hands
“I understand that everyone has their own problems and everyone is focused on their own things. I am here to keep reminding people that the war is still on and it should be stopped. It’s not normal for it to happen,” said Kostyuk, who won in three sets against Russia’s Elina Avanesyan in Melbourne.
Kostyuk then refused to shake her opponent’s hand, as did Tsurenko after her clear defeat against defending champion Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus. “People don’t want to hear about the war, they don’t want to hear bad news,” Tsurenko said. “I get a lot of nasty messages on social media saying people are bored when I post something.”
Tsurenko reports bad news
In 2023 there were numerous fundraisers for Ukraine at the Australian Open. This year the Russian war of aggression plays no role in Melbourne. “It seems like the whole world is tired of hearing about it,” Tsurenko said. “But unfortunately the war continues. It is part of my life, it is part of the lives of other Ukrainians, and we need to talk about it. We have to remind people about Ukraine.”
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Kostyuk reported: “My whole family is in Kiev at the moment. My mother sends me videos when rockets fly over her house. It is a completely unequal and terrible war.” (lg/dpa)
2024-01-20 16:17:00
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