Aryna Sabalenka breaks silence after opponent refused handshake | Tennis | Sport
Aryna Sabalenka has spoken out after her opponent refused to shake the world No.1’s hand at the recent Brisbane International. Sabalenka picked up her first title of 2026 with a straight-sets victory over Marta Kostyuk at the event in Queensland on Sunday.
Controversy followed after the winning point when the defeated Kostyuk refused to shake hands with the Belarusian, marking the latest frosty moment in what appears to be a developing rivalry. Kostyuk has previously made comments about Sabalenka’s testosterone levels, and the Ukrainian didn’t mention her opponent in the post-match speech.
Instead, Kostyuk chose to focus on the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with some fans making connections to Belarus’ involvement in the war. Brushing off the comments, Sabalenka said in the post-match press conference: “It’s their position. What can I do? I don’t mind that. I don’t care about that. When I go into the match, it’s all about tennis and sport.
“When I go out there, I think about my tennis and think about what I have to do to get the win. It doesn’t matter if it’s Marta Kostyuk or Jessica Pegula. I still go out there and try my best and fight for the trophy. I have nothing to prove. I go out there and compete as an athlete.”
Sabalenka has attracted plenty of attention in recent weeks, namely for comments made about trans competitors in tennis, as well as taking part in a controversial ‘Battle of the Sexes’ clash with Nick Kyrgios. On her prospects of taking the title back this year, the 2025 runner-up believes she’ll be in the mix for the title.
She said: “This week I did it really well, but nobody knows what’s going to happen in the future. The only thing I’m sure of is that I’ll be there, I’ll be fighting, and I’ll do my best to go as far as possible and do a little bit better than I did last year. My focus is on my game, on developing myself, and making sure I’m strong and healthy heading into the Australian Open.”
The action gets underway from Melbourne Park on Sunday, with the main draws set to take place on Thursday. Sabalenka enters the tournament as the No.1 seed following a dominant 2025 across all surfaces.
