Kostyuk claims the WTA has been ignoring requests for a meeting amid tensions with the Russian players

Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk missed one final backhand kick on Thursday night – and avoiding the traditional handshake at the net – she walked straight to her chair, grabbed her bag and hurriedly exited the outside court.

Such endings for matches on the WTA Tour have become more common over the past year, and for obvious reasons.

She played her second Miami Open against Russia’s Anastasia Potapova, and it resulted in a heavy 6-1, 6-3 defeat, during which the Ukrainian second seed sometimes wore a detached look.

She was never likely to engage in post-match pleasantries with world number 26 Potapova, who last week received an official WTA Tour warning for wearing a Spartak Moscow soccer jersey during warm-ups at Indian Wells.

The incident added to the growing tension within the women’s locker room between the Ukrainian squad and their counterparts from Russia and Belarus. It was the first time that the authorities had felt moved to assign any blame for behavior related to a global crisis that had left an imprint on tennis more than other sports.

Kostyuk beaten by Anastasia Potapova in Miami amid ongoing tensions on WTA tour

Potapova was warned by the WTA last week for wearing a Spartak Moscow jersey on court

It is expected that in the coming weeks, Wimbledon will reverse its position last year on banning players from the aggressor countries, as British tennis is under threat of severe penalties from the men’s and women’s tours.

Kostyuk later said she would wait for Wimbledon’s decision. At the moment, she is more rehearsing the way a request was received from Ukrainian players for a meeting with the main WTA board.

We wanted to have the meeting and we didn’t get it. no answer. nothing. She said: Just silence.

As a group, they feel aggrieved at not being treated with the sympathy they should, and that was compounded by the icy atmosphere in the locker room.

However, Kostyuk confirmed that she did not recognize the comments made earlier this week by Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, who stated that she had never felt such hatred from other players within the Inner Campus.

“I might not say ‘hello’ to some players, but I didn’t get close to anyone,” said the 20-year-old world number 38 from Kiev. “I might spread hate just by being there. I don’t know when people come out with that. But there is clearly tension – we’re not Friends, we’re at war right now.

Kostyuk knows that whenever she speaks, she’ll be subjected to torrents of abuse online: ‘I’ll hate everything I say the most. Most of the news I receive is horrific and bad. Just reading the news sinks.

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka said she was a victim of the players’ hatred

Kostyuk did not acknowledge Sabalenka’s comments, but acknowledged the tension amid the ongoing war

She also admits that her scattering mind means she never knows how she’s going to play on a given day, and last night she was pretty beat up. “It all depends, I just don’t know what to get out of myself.”

Potapova was on the lack of a handshake at the end: “I was expecting it. It’s clearly her choice. I take it as if I’m here to play tennis, and to forget a few other things.

She was even more astonished to be warned about wearing the T-shirt, which she maintains is completely innocent: ‘There was no political intent in that T-shirt. I’m just a huge Spartak fan since I was 10 years old. My dad built part of the stadium for this team so it’s part of our family. I am good friends with them. I was very surprised because there was no ill intent in it.

She added that she was desperate to play at Wimbledon: “I’m dreaming about it because it’s one of my favorite parts of the season.