Ukrainian Kostyuk praises former Russian player Kasatkina, shakes hands: 'That deserves respect'

Former Russian tennis player Daria Kasatkina recently changed her allegiance to Australia after coming out as gay. She has also spoken against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Ukrainian tennis player Marta Kostyuk on Friday broke her tradition as he shook hands with Daria Kasatkina after beating her 6-4, 6-2 at the Italian Open’s second round. Kostyuk had refused to shake hands with Russian or Belarusian players since Russia’s invasion of her country. But she shook hands with Kasatkina after the latter’s recently changed her allegiance.

Kasatkina, ranked 15th in the world, has changed her allegiance from Russia to Australia and has not returned to Russia in more than two years after coming out as gay and being one of the few players to have publicly spoken out against the war.

Kostyuk said she respected Kasatkina’s decision to speak out against Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

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