"Consequence of impotent authorities" - Alexandr Dolgopolov irate as Russian fencer demands disqualification of Ukrainian rival over refused handshake

Former Ukrainian tennis player Alexandr Dolgopolov expressed his frustration with Russian fencer Anna Smirnova after she demanded the disqualification of her Ukrainian opponent Olha Kharlan over a refused handshake.

Dolgopolov has been a staunch critic of the Russian invasion of his home country, which started last year. The 34-year-old has been particularly vocal about the continued participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in the sporting world, joining his compatriots in calling for their suspension from their respective sports.

Most recently, an incident at the Fencing World Championships on Thursday has forced Dolgopolov to raise his voice once again. At the event, Ukrainian fencer Kharlan refused to shake hands with her Russian opponent after defeating the latter with a 15:9 score.

Upon losing, Smirnova demanded the disqualification of her opponent for not shaking hands with her and gloomily sat for 50 minutes in protest. The four-time sabre world champion Kharlan had previously told AFP a fortnight ago that she would refrain from shaking hands with a Russian if she fought one.

Reacting to the incident on social media, the Kyiv native criticized Russian-Belarusian players for playing the victim card, claiming their actions were a consequence of "impotent" authorities.

He further expressed dejection over Russian and Belarusian professionals attacking Ukrainians on their "personal level."

"Russians and Bellorussians playing the victim is a consequence of impotent sport authorities and non sport institutions. Not only have they not said a word, to enjoy western life and values, but also they try to damage Ukrainians in any way they can, on their personal level," wrote Alexandr Dolgopolov.

As it turns out, Olha Kharlan was later hit with a disqualification for not shaking hands with her Russian opponent at the Fencing World Championships.

Alexandr Dolgopolov played Novak Djokovic in his final match before retiring

Alexandr Dolgopolov at the 2018 Australian Open

Alexandr Dolgopolov's final match on the ATP Tour came against Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic in the opening round of the 2018 Internazionali BNL d'Italia. The Ukrainian fell in straight sets, registering a 1-6, 3-6 loss.

In a later interview with James Buddell of ATPTour.com, the former World No. 13 reflected on how he never took his wrist injury as "career-ending" when he first picked it up in Australia.

“My wrist injury happened in Australia [three years ago] after mis-hitting a return in practice. I felt pain, but nothing serious. I reached the Australian Open third round and returned to Europe, but I never realized that it would be career-ending,” spoke Dolgopolov in 2021, when he announced his retirement.

When the Russia-Ukriane war broke out in 2022, Dolgopolov enlisted in military service to aid his home country and is currently serving as a drone operator in the army.