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Top-ranked tennis player Aryna Sabalenka said she respected her opponent’s decision not to shake hands after their semifinal match at the Australian Open on Thursday, a decision she said most Ukrainian players have been making “for so long.”
Sabalenka, who is Belarusian but has only been allowed to play under a neutral flag in Grand Slam tournaments since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, beat Ukrainian Elina Svitolina 6-2, 6-3.
Aryna Sabalenka, right, walks past Elina Svitolina during their semifinal match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Before the match’s conclusion, a big-screen message from Australian Open organizers informed the crowd that the two men would not shake hands at the net once it was over.
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“At the end of the match, there will be no handshake between the players. We appreciate your respect for both athletes during and after the match.”
After the match, Sabalenka was directly asked about Svitolina’s decision.
Elina Svitolina gestures during her semi-final match against Aryna Sabalenka at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, January 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
“I’m not focused on that and they’ve been doing it for so long. It’s their decision and I respect that and I have the time now to respect it and [in the] field interview.”
She continued: “I think she knows I respect her as a player, I know she respects me as a player, that’s all that matters to me. [about.] But no handshake, it’s their decision. I respect that.”
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Svitolina praised Sabalenka’s performance in their semi-final match. She was not asked directly about the handshake, but said she chooses to remain optimistic despite such a crushing defeat due to circumstances in her home country.
Elina Svitolina and Aryna Sabalenka refuse a post-match handshake after the women’s singles semi-final during day 12 of the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, January 29, 2026. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
“I feel like I shouldn’t be allowed to be really sad. I’m in a great position. First of all, not just from a personal point of view, I have this incredible opportunity to play on center court here, to represent my country, to do it in a decent way, to have the opportunity to use my voice and just be there for my people.”
“When I wake up in the morning I see, of course, terrifying news, but then I see people who watch my matches, they write comments and they are really – I think it’s a great exchange of positive emotions so I can’t complain. People really live a horrible, terrifying life in Ukraine, so I shouldn’t have the right to be really sad because I’m a very, very lucky person.”
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Aryna Sabalenka celebrates a point in the women’s singles semi-final against Elina Svitolina on day 12 of the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia, January 29, 2026. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
With her victory on Thursday, Sabalenka set up a rematch of her 2023 final against Elena Rybakina. She became the third woman in the Open era to reach four consecutive singles finals at the Australian Open.
