Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk Refuses To Shake Hands With Belarusian Victoria Azarenka At US Open Over Ukrainian War Issues

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banned from playing in Wimbledon this year.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 01: Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine at the US Open. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Ukrainian player Dayana Yastremska, who fled Ukraine after the invasion, refused to shake hands with Azarenka following their match earlier this summer. During her post-match press conference, Kostyuk explained she had texted Azarenka Wednesday after her practice session to "warn her" that she will not shake hands with her after the match today. Kostyuk said she wanted to have a broader conversation with Azarenka on the war. She explained Azarenka responded that she was not on-site, and so they did not have the conversation. "I'm open to any time to listen, to try to understand, to sympathize. I believe that empathy in the moment like this is really important, which has, again, been my clear message in the beginning," Azarenka said during her post-match session with the media.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.