Ukrainian tennis star Yelyzaveta Kotliar is under investigation in her homeland after shaking hands with a Russian opponent after her first-round match at the Australian Open, according to The Daily Mail.
Kotliar lost to Vlada Mincheva 2-6 4-6 in the Girls’ Singles draw.
It has been customary for Ukrainian and Russian players not to shake hands since conflict erupted between the two countries in 2022.
Kotliar’s father released the following statement: “The atmosphere here is extraordinary, which in itself puts a lot of pressure on the athletes.
“At the beginning of your career, it’s hard to cope with this and not be nervous. Unfortunately, my daughter didn’t feel calm, her emotions were running high, so she wasn’t completely in control of her behaviour.
“She automatically performed the post-match ritual, not realising that behind the net there was a representative of the country who launched the attack on our homeland.
“It was definitely a mistake that Liza regrets and assures us that she will never allow anything like that to happen again.”
