“Sad” - Victoria Azarenka reacts to media publication highlighting Jelena Ostapenko’s seemingly cold handshake

Victoria Azarenka reacted negatively to a social media post about her handshake with Jelena Ostapenko after their quarterfinal clash at the Brisbane International.

Azarenka beat Ostapenko in a three-set marathon earlier today, January 5, but it was a match that had no shortage of drama. The slugfest saw the pair go toe-to-toe for two and a half hours, with the 34-year-old veteran eventually prevailing 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.

Tempers flared during the ninth game of the third set when Ostapenko berated the chair umpire for what seemed like a contentious call. After a heated discussion she proceeded to call the umpire "blind," while promising her that she'd never be allowed to officiate another game of hers in the future.

"You are blind, it is impossible to play when you make so much mistakes. I never want you at my match again, you will never be at my match," Ostapenko said to chair umpire Julie Kjendlie.

The match also had a seemingly frosty handshake between the players, which was followed by Ostapenko proceeding to her chair without acknowledging the umpire.

While Victoria Azarenka did not address the outburst during her on-court interview, she did react online after her handshake with Jelena Ostapenko started garnering attention. Azarenka criticized Tennis Channel for the "handshake crowd" caption they put out with a photograph of the pair at the net.

"This is for the, I'm Just Here For The Handshake crowd," Tennis Channel's caption read.

Azarenka responded by expressing her disappointment with the post.

"There is an actual crowd like that? Sad... What an embarrassing post," Victoria Azarenka wrote in response.

Azarenka responds to Tennis Channel's post about her handshake with Jelena Ostapenko at the 2024 Brisbane International - X, formerly Twitter

Victoria Azarenka pays tribute to Jelena Ostapenko's power-packed tennis

Victoria Azarenka at the 2024 Brisbane International in Brisbane, Australia - Getty Images

Victoria Azarenka paid tribute to Jelena Ostapenko's powerful game after prevailing in their three-set thriller. Speaking to the crowd, she admitted that she had walked into the match fully expecting a battle.

"She has proved she can beat anyone on any given day. She makes you fight for every point, she was blasting returns, blasting winners," she said.

Azarenka also joked that sometimes only a helmet can save you from the Latvian's baseline rockets.

"With Jelena, sometimes you have to put on a helmet and try to stay in there," she said. "The quality of tennis was incredible, so to be able to go through ... I'm very proud," Azarenka added.