Ukrainian tennis star Marta Kostyuk has made it clear what she thinks about Russian players participating in tennis tournaments. On Thursday, Kostyuk’s thoughts were heard by Anastasia Potapova , whom the Ukrainian treated like air.
Russian Potapova caused a minor stir last week when she stepped onto the court at the Indian Wells tournament wearing a Spartak Moscow jersey. Unlike in other sports, Russian and Belarusian players have been allowed to participate in international tennis tournaments as neutral athletes even during Russia’s war of aggression. Potapova received a warning for her trick.
On Wednesday, Kostyuk faced the Russian who shocked her last week. The Ukrainian, ranked 38th on the WTA list, lost to Potapova, ranked 26th, in the second round of the WTA tournament in Miami with a clear score of 6–1, 6–3. After the match, Kostyuk did not head to the net to shake hands with her opponent, as is normal practice, but walked straight to her own bench.
Kostyuk has seen similar protests before. The Ukrainian has also done the same trick to another Russian, Varvara Gracheva, and to Belarusian Victoria Azarenka
