{"id":119024,"date":"2026-01-29T15:27:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T20:27:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024"},"modified":"2026-01-29T15:27:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T20:27:53","slug":"aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024","title":{"rendered":"Aryna Sabalenka addresses Ukrainian opponent’s decision to skip handshake after Australian Open semifinal"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Top-ranked women\u2019s tennis player Aryna Sabalenka said she respected her opponent\u2019s decision not to shake hands following their semifinal match at the Australian Open<\/a> on Thursday, a decision that she says most Ukrainian players have been making “for so long.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sabalenka, who is Belarusian but is only permitted to play under a neutral flag at Grand Slams since the Russian invasion of Ukraine<\/a> in 2022, defeated Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-2, 6-3.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Before the conclusion of the match, a message on the big screen from Australian Open organizers informed the crowd that the pair would not be shaking hands at the net following its completion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“At the conclusion of the match, there will be no handshake between the players. We appreciate your respect for both athletes during and following the match.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

After the match, Sabalenka was asked directly about Svitolina\u2019s decision.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m not focusing on that and they\u2019ve been doing it for so long. It\u2019s their decision and I respect that and I have time right now to respect her and [in the] on-court interview.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

She continued, “I think that she knows I respect her as a player, I know she respects me as a player \u2013 that\u2019s all I care [about.] But no handshake, it’s their decision. I respect that.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

NOVAK DJOKOVIC CALLS REPORTER’S QUESTION ‘DISRESPECTFUL’ AFTER AUSTRALIAN OPEN QUARTERFINAL MATCH<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Svitolina spoke highly of Sabalenka\u2019s performance during their semifinal matchup. She was not asked directly about the handshake, but did say she chooses to remain optimistic despite such a crushing defeat because of the circumstances in her home country.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I feel like I should not be allowed to really be sad. I have a great position. Firstly, not just as a\u00a0 personal perspective, I have this amazing opportunity to play in the center court here, represent my country, to do it in a decent way, to have an opportunity to use my voice and just be there for my people.”<\/p>\n

“When I wake up in the morning, I see, of course, terrifying news but then I see people watching my matches, they write comments and they\u2019re really \u2013 I think it\u2019s a big exchange of positive emotions so I can not complain. The people are really living a horrible and terrifying life in Ukraine, so I should not be allowed to really be sad because I am a very, very lucky person.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

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<\/a> to reach four consecutive singles finals at the Australian Open.<\/p>\n

The Associated Press contributed to this report.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Follow Fox News Digital\u2019s<\/strong><\/i> sports coverage on X<\/u><\/strong><\/i><\/a>, and subscribe to<\/strong><\/i> the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter<\/u><\/strong><\/i><\/a>.<\/strong><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/sports\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Top-ranked women\u2019s tennis player Aryna Sabalenka said she respected her opponent\u2019s decision not to shake hands following their semifinal match at the Australian Open on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-119024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAryna Sabalenka addresses Ukrainian opponent's decision to skip handshake after Australian Open semifinal - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Aryna Sabalenka addresses Ukrainian opponent's decision to skip handshake after Australian Open semifinal - Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Top-ranked women\u2019s tennis player Aryna Sabalenka said she respected her opponent\u2019s decision not to shake hands following their semifinal match at the Australian Open on […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-29T20:27:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"715\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"423\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\"},\"headline\":\"Aryna Sabalenka addresses Ukrainian opponent’s decision to skip handshake after Australian Open semifinal\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-29T20:27:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024\"},\"wordCount\":491,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Market News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024\",\"name\":\"Aryna Sabalenka addresses Ukrainian opponent's decision to skip handshake after Australian Open semifinal - Wall Street PR\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-29T20:27:53+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Aryna Sabalenka addresses Ukrainian opponent’s decision to skip handshake after Australian Open semifinal\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"description\":\"Latest News From WallStreet\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"width\":537,\"height\":70,\"caption\":\"Wall Street PR\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Aryna Sabalenka addresses Ukrainian opponent's decision to skip handshake after Australian Open semifinal - Wall Street PR","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Aryna Sabalenka addresses Ukrainian opponent's decision to skip handshake after Australian Open semifinal - Wall Street PR","og_description":"Top-ranked women\u2019s tennis player Aryna Sabalenka said she respected her opponent\u2019s decision not to shake hands following their semifinal match at the Australian Open on […]","og_url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024","og_site_name":"Wall Street PR","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","article_published_time":"2026-01-29T20:27:53+00:00","og_image":[{"width":715,"height":423,"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36"},"headline":"Aryna Sabalenka addresses Ukrainian opponent’s decision to skip handshake after Australian Open semifinal","datePublished":"2026-01-29T20:27:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024"},"wordCount":491,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Market News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024","name":"Aryna Sabalenka addresses Ukrainian opponent's decision to skip handshake after Australian Open semifinal - Wall Street PR","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-01-29T20:27:53+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/aryna-sabalenka-addresses-ukrainian-opponents-decision-to-skip-handshake-after-australian-open-semifinal-119024#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Aryna Sabalenka addresses Ukrainian opponent’s decision to skip handshake after Australian Open semifinal"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","name":"Wall Street PR","description":"Latest News From WallStreet","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization","name":"Wall Street PR","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","width":537,"height":70,"caption":"Wall Street PR"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","caption":"admin"},"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119024","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119024"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119024\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119024"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119024"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119024"},{"taxonomy":"stock_ticker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stock_ticker?post=119024"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}