Ukrainian Tennis Player Praises Her Russian Opponent for Saying She Doesn’t Support the War: ‘She’s a Brave One’

Christophe Ena/AP

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina commended her Russian opponent for her willingness to speak out against the ongoing war between the two countries.

Svitolina defeated Daria Kasatkina in their recent French Open match. In place of the customary post-match handshake, Svitolina gave her opponent a thumbs up as they approached the net. Ukrainian players have been refusing to shake the hands of Russian and Belarusian players because of the war.

Despite not shaking hands, Svitolina made sure to acknowledge Kasatkina for being so understanding of the situation.

“Really thankful for her position that she took,” Svitolina said after the match. “Yeah, she’s a really brave person to say it publicly, that not so many players did. She’s a brave one.”

While other Russians and Belarusians have been understanding of the situation, they haven’t been as openly critical of their home countries as Kasatkina. She called the war a “full-blown nightmare” and said the end of the conflict was what she “wanted most in life right now.”

“The saddest part is the war still going on,” Kasatkina said last month. “So of course, players from Ukraine have got a lot of reasons to not shake our hands. I accept it and it is how it is. It’s a very sad situation and I understand.”