'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Karen Khachanov suffered a heartbreaking loss against Casper Ruud in the semifinals of the US Open on Friday. He was already in a subdued mood when he arrived for his post-match conference, where a journalist tried to twist an innocuous answer by him into something more.
Khachanov stated that his next move was to go home before returning to the tour later on. The journalist then tried to seek clarification if by "home" he meant returning to Russia. The 26-year-old responded by saying that while he's from Moscow, his current residence is in Dubai. It rattled him a little and made a quick exit after that.
"I mean, my city and where I come from is Russia and Moscow, but I have residence, I live in Dubai. So...thank you," Khachanov said.
Trending
Fans were quick to point out that the Russian connection is being brought up frequently even when it's not related to the matter at hand, mainly to vilify players from the region.
"These f***en useless bigots who somehow have free rein in the press rooms, calling themselves 'journalists'... Just stop trying to crucify these players," one user wrote.
"Thank you so much @Wimbledon for promoting xenophobia, you have done an incredible job," a fan said.
"I can't honestly. He is just a player from Russia, he worked all his life to be at the highest echelon of this sport. Why is the @atptour not protecting players from low journalists. Please help @ptpaplayers there should be a rule against these type of questions!" read another tweet.
Here are some more fan reactions defending Karen Khachanov:
Karen Khachanov will return to action at Moselle Open
Following his semifinal loss at the US Open, Karen Khachanov will take a much-needed break before making a comeback at the Moselle Open in Metz. The ATP 250 event is scheduled to be held from September 19-25. The Russian will head to Israel the following week to compete in the Tel Aviv Open.
Along with Khachanov, 21-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is another star headliner. Israel will now host an ATP tournament for the first time since 1996.
The 26-year-old will then participate in the Astana Open in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. The ATP 500 tournament will be held from October 3-9 and boasts of a rather strong field.
Five top 10 players are on the entry list as of now, including Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Khachanov has reached one final this year, which was at the Adelaide International in January. He won his last title back in 2018 at the Paris Masters. Following his semifinal finish in New York, he'll be back in the top 20 when the ATP rankings are released on Monday.
