The emcee on Rod Laver Arena made an important announcement ahead of the women’s semi-finals at the Australian Open on Thursday. In the first semi-final world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka prepared to face No. 12 seed Elina Svitolina. Both players were waiting in the tunnel when the crowd was informed that they would not shake hands at the conclusion of the match.
Ukrainian tennis players have typically chosen not to shake hands with their Russian and Belarusian opponents since the start of the war in their home country. Russian and Belarusian tennis players have also competed as neutral athletes since 2022.
Svitolina has been outspoken about the war and does not meet Russian and Belarusian players at the net for a post-match handshake. This caused a stir when she beat No. 8 seed Mirra Andreeva in the fourth round over the weekend.
Russian teenager Andreeva knew there would be no handshake so she did not meet Svitolina at the net, instead heading to her bench and packing up before leaving the court. Some fans in the arena booed, not realising why Andreeva had ignored the handshake. Fans later took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to defend her.
Tournament organisers took action to prevent any potential booing at the end of Sabalenka vs Svitolina on Thursday evening, explaining the situation to the crowd before the players took to the court.
“At the end of the match, there will be no handshake between the players. We appreciate your respect,” the announcer said.
Sabalenka and Svitolina also did not take any photos together at the net ahead of their semi-final clash. The two-time former champion and the No. 12 seed both posed separately with the child mascot, who was completing the coin toss.
World No. 1 Sabalenka is hunting her fifth Grand Slam title, and her third in Melbourne Park. The 27-year-old has reached three straight finals, losing to Madison Keys last year, and lifting the trophy in 2023 and 2024.
Meanwhile, Svitolina is seeking a maiden Grand Slam final appearance. This is her fourth Major semi-final and her first at the Australian Open. She’s also already guaranteed to return to the top 10 for the first time since before she took a break to welcome her first child in 2022.