A very interesting scene unfolded at the 2023 Indian Wells Open when Donna Vekic refused to shake hands with Lesia Tsurenko after losing to her.
Shaking hands after a match has become a tradition in tennis over its very long history. It was a respectful way of acknowledging the opponent and the effort they put in regardless of the result.
It’s good sportsmanship which should be at the base of athletic competition always, but it doesn’t always happen. Humans are complicated, and sometimes they don’t behave in the most appropriate manner.
That’s what happened to Vekic at the 2023 Indian Wells Open when she displayed poor sportsmanship after her match against Tsurenko. The match itself didn’t feature any notable incidents, however, the Croatian was in no mood to shake hands with Tsurenko.
The Ukrainian was left stunned by the move and didn’t understand what was going on. After being snubbed at the net, Tsurenko looked at the umpire and then even went to Vekic’s bench to see if she was going to shake her hand, but it didn’t happen.
Vekic simply continued packing her bags and, once she was done, simply left the court. It was a very bizarre sequence in many ways. Not shaking hands does happen on the tennis courts, but generally, all players overcome any personal feelings and shake hands.
Sometimes, an incident happens, and players don’t shake hands, but for the most part, it happens the vast majority of the time. It didn’t happen this time around, and it created lots of talk on social media.
Fans weren’t happy with the way Vekic reacted and called her out because, in essence, tennis is a sport that prides itself on its traditions and fair play. This wasn’t Vekic’s best moment, even though she’s not known as a controversial player.
Just recently, the two met in Monterrey, where Vekic won the title, as Tsurenko retired from their first-round match. This may have been a factor in Vekic's behavior at Indian Wells, but it does not excuse it.