24 January 2024 , 12:17
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A teenage tennis star from Ukraine has been forced to apologise after receiving criticism for shaking the hand of Russian opponent Vlada Mincheva at the Australian Open.
Yelyzaveta Kotliar, 16, was beaten 6-2, 6-4 by Mincheva of Russia in the first round of the girls' tournament at Melbourne Park on Saturday. After the final point, Ukrainian Kotliar shook hands with the Russian and sparked controversy.
The two nations remain at war, with the UN estimating in November 2023 that more than 10,000 civilians have been killed, and it's become an unwritten rule for Ukrainian players not to shake the hands of their Russian or Belorussian opponents. The Ukraine Tennis Federation described what Kotliar did as an "unpleasant incident" and reiterated its position that "Ukrainian tennis players not hold handshakes with representatives of aggressor countries."
Her father, Konstantin Kotliar, soon released a statement through the UTF and apologised on 'Liza's' behalf. "The atmosphere here is extraordinary, which in itself puts a lot of pressure on the athletes," her dad said.
"At the beginning of your career, it's hard to cope with this and not be nervous. Unfortunately, my daughter didn't feel calm, her emotions were running high, so she wasn't completely in control of her behaviour. She is only 16 years old and has no real experience of appearing in major competitions like Grand Slam tournaments, the pinnacle of both professional and youth tennis.
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"She performed a post-match ritual, shook the hand of the opponent, did not understand that behind the net was a representative of the country who attacked our homeland. It was definitely a mistake that she is deeply sorry (for) and assures that she will never allow anything like this again."
Ukraine's Dayana Yastremska launched a defence of Kotliar when asked about the incident after she reached the women's main draw semi-finals, having impressively come through qualifying. "You know, Ukrainians, we have our position," Yastremska, 23, explained. "We are not shaking hands.
"But I think she's still a little bit young, not so experienced. It can happen with everyone, you know. I cannot judge her because I don't know what was in her head. So did she make this on purpose or not on purpose? I don't know. But I'm sure that she stands by Ukraine, and I'm sure that she just got too emotional and confused."