Wimbledon star refuses handshake after loss and told by rival ‘learn how to lose’ | Tennis | Sport
Jelena Ostapenko didn’t hold back after progressing into the semi-finals of the mixed doubles event at Wimbledon, telling her opponent she needs to “learn to lose” in a fiery exchange post-match. Ostapenko, paired up with Marcelo Arevalo, advanced into the last four after a straight-sets win over Laura Siegemund and Edouard Roger-Vasselin.
It was after the final point had been won when tempers flared, with Siegemund – who refused to shake hands with Ostapenko – and Roger-Vasselin having rushed over to the umpire to issue a complaint after they were handed a time violation. The two were later joined by Ostapenko, who was keen to get involved, with the argument reaching a fever pitch.
Siegemund asked the umpire: “On a point like that, maybe a little bit of fingertip feeling, a little bit.” To which she replied: “You know at the [All England] Club we don’t have that.” Siegemund then added: “With the right players you have it.”
Roger-Vasselin pushed back against the claim, suggesting the umpire was mistaken. Meanwhile, Ostapenko added: “It’s a very good rule, he did a great job, finally somebody’s not afraid to do that… Somebody’s not afraid to do that when she’s taking like two minutes between serves, and before the serve. And everyone knows this.”
Still annoyed, Roger-Vasselin continued: “But he didn’t warn us anytime.”
As the confrontation continued, Ostapenko chimed in with a dig aimed towards Siegemund, saying: “You have to handle defeats better, learn to lose.” At which point, Siegemund decided she had seen enough and duly stormed off the court, having already refused to shake hands with Ostapenko.
Ostapenko had been knocked out of the singles by Aryna Sabalenka, allowing her to have full focus on the doubles campaign. Speaking after their contest, Sabalenka was asked about Ostapenko’s hitting power, with the world No.1 remarking: “Yeah, that’s scary. You know, that’s really scary.”
Before adding: “She’s really dangerous and in the last match I played against her, I couldn’t do anything. She just smashed me off the court. I’m really happy that I was able to get this win, especially in straight sets. The plan is to get better every day and to bring a little bit better level every time I’m competing on this beautiful grass.”
Sabalenka was beaten by Naomi Osaka in straight sets just days later.
