"If more Russians had Daria's courage, this war wouldn't have happened" - Tennis fans react to Daria Kasatkina's mature remarks about Ukraine war

Russian No. 8 seed Daria Kasatkina defeated Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the round of 16 at the Madrid Open at the Caja Magica on Sunday (April 30).

The Russian beat Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (6-4, 6-3) in the previous round of the WTA 1000 tournament. Her next opponent will be No. 12 seed Veronika Kudermetova.

However, no handshakes were exchanged at the net after the match between the duo. Kasatkina gave her opponent a polite wave instead at the net as the Ukrainian walked past her.

Following the match, Daria Kasatkina stated that she understood why her opponent did not shake hands with her as her country is in a bad state right now due to the war, and that she was happy that Tsurenko waved back.

"The saddest part is the war's still going on, so of course the players from Ukraine they have got a lot of reasons to not shake our hands. I accept it, and it is how it is. It's a very sad situation. I was actually happy she waved me back [when leaving the court]," Kasatkina said.

In light of this, tennis fans took to Twitter to react to Kasatkina's mature remarks. According to one user, if all Russians had the tennis star's courage, class, and intelligence, the war would not have happened.

"If more Russians had Daria's courage, class and intelligence this war probably wouldn't have happened," the tweet read.

Another user praised the Russian for her awareness, writing:

"Exactly, if you’re *really* against war and are not pro Putin then you’re absolutely ok with no handshake and you understand what it means."

Here are a few more reactions from fans:

---

"I'm happy that we will be able to come back this year" - Daria Kasatkina on Wimbledon lifting the ban on Russian and Belarusian players

Daria Kasatkina pictured at the 2022 Credit One Charleston Open - Day 7.

Daria Kasatkina then discussed Wimbledon lifting its ban on Russian and Belarusian players, which was imposed a year ago in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She stated that it was painful for her to miss the grass court Major last year.

However, the 25-year-old quickly added that she is happy to compete at SW19 this year and that the Russians value the opportunity to compete on the international stage.

"I was really sad to miss Wimbledon last year - of course for a reason, but it still was painful. I'm happy that we will be able to come back this year and to be honest we are the luckiest sport as we are able to compete still," Daria Kasatkina said.

"95% of the athletes from Russia could not go outside and compete in the international events, and we really appreciate this opportunity and that we can be on the international stage," she added.