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Victoria Azarenka was booed off by the Wimbledon crowd following her defeat to Elina Svitolina on Sunday, July 9. The Belarusian Azarenka was given a hostile reception from the crowd after the close fought match when the Ukrainian Svitolina refused to shake hands with her opponent.
The crowd began to cheer when the Belarusian was walking off the court 1. Azarenka shook her head as she left, which only caused the jeering to intensify as she gathered her things. The crowd was overwhelmingly behind Svitolina the entire match, no doubt a reaction to Belarusian support of Russia against Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
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The crowd erupted with a thunderous cheer when she secured a thrilling 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (11-9) victory. In a contrasting turn of events, Svitolina had faced boos at the French Open for not shaking hands with Russian and Belarusian opponents, despite reaching the quarterfinals.
However, this time, it was Azarenka who received loud jeers from the crowd as she acknowledged Svitolina before leaving the court. The reasons behind the fans' reaction were unclear, as it was uncertain if they believed Azarenka had snubbed her opponent. Azarenka, visibly frustrated, responded with a prolonged, piercing stare before clenching her fists in annoyance as she exited the court.
“It wasn’t fair. It is what it is. What can I do?” Azarenka said, following the ordeal. “I haven’t done anything wrong, but I can’t control the crowd. I’m not sure that a lot of people were understanding what’s happening.” Svitolina has stated in the past that until the invasion of Ukraine is over she will not be shaking hands with Russian or Belarusian players.
Second happiest moment of my life: Svitolina as she qualifies for quarterfinals
Svitolina, who is ranked 76th, said that this moment is the second greatest in her life, just behind the birth of her daughter Skai. The wildcard entrant has reached the quarterfinals of both Grand Slams she has participated in.
In the quarterfinals, the 28-year-old Svitolina will face top-seeded Polish player Iga Swiatek, who narrowly defeated Belinda Bencic on Centre Court just moments before Svitolina concluded her triumph over Azarenka.
Before her impressive win, Svitolina had secured victories against American wildcard Venus Williams (6-4, 6-3), the 28th seed Elise Mertens from Belgium (6-1, 1-6, 6-1), and American qualifier Sofia Kenin (7-6 (3), 6-2).
