Tennis fans shared their reactions to Victoria Azarenka’s peculiar gesture towards the Wimbledon crowd after being booed off the court.Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka was drawn against Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the fourth round of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships. The pair were locked in a vigorous exchange which ultimately concluded in Svitolina’s favor in the final set super tie-break 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (9). The 28-year-old will now face World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals.As has become the norm, there was no handshake at the net between the Ukrainian and the Belarusian due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The players, however, gave each other a respectful nod to acknowledge their encounter.Despite the mutual understanding displayed by the two, Victoria Azarenka was booed off the court by the Wimbledon crowd – a reception the former World No. 1 did not take kindly to. Azarenka firmly stood on the court and glowered at the crowd, and made a peculiar gesture before leaving the court.दिविर जैन@divirj04Why would the Wimbledon crowd boo Victoria Azarenka? It makes no sense. It was Svitolina who has unilaterally decided not to shake hands with certain players. I feel sorry for @vika7 !23526Why would the Wimbledon crowd boo Victoria Azarenka? It makes no sense. It was Svitolina who has unilaterally decided not to shake hands with certain players. I feel sorry for @vika7 ! https://t.co/zPWWqkwOiMTennis fans were disappointed by the spectators’ conduct and backed Azarenka for expressing her discontent.“Well done you gave it your all as the Grand Slam Champion you are and I'd have done the same if anyone booed me in that situation lol:)” one fan said.Lynne Pearson@lppcoach@vika7 Well done you gave it your all as the Grand Slam Champion you are and I'd have done the same if anyone booed me in that situation lol:)#Thinkingofyou:)#StayStrong:)#ILoveYou:) twitter.com/jamesgraysport…James Gray@jamesgraysportBooed off on No 1 Court, Victoria Azarenka laughed, shook her head and banged her fists together in response as she left the court.#Wimbledon46715Booed off on No 1 Court, Victoria Azarenka laughed, shook her head and banged her fists together in response as she left the court.#Wimbledon https://t.co/EmrhsVUxJj@vika7 Well done you gave it your all as the Grand Slam Champion you are and I'd have done the same if anyone booed me in that situation lol:)❤️#Thinkingofyou:)❤️#StayStrong:)❤️#ILoveYou:)❤️ twitter.com/jamesgraysport…Several fans also wondered if the two-time Grand Slam champion’s hand motion was inspired by the American sitcom Friends, where the siblings Ross and Monica use it as ‘giving the finger without actually having to give it.’“Was this a Ross (friends)? If it was, fair play,” another fan said.Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:TheSkulk@skulk13@ReeseRharman @jamesgraysport My first thought was “they don’t know about the non-handshakes due to the war but maybe they know Friends”@ReeseRharman @jamesgraysport My first thought was “they don’t know about the non-handshakes due to the war but maybe they know Friends”Nanya@NanyaBisnez@jamesgraysport Exactly what she meant1@jamesgraysport Exactly what she meant https://t.co/5OkDVGmY8xNanya@NanyaBisnez@jamesgraysport That’s an FU sign from the TV series Friends!11@jamesgraysport That’s an FU sign from the TV series Friends!Reanne Evans MBE@evans_reanneWas this a Ross (friends) @vika7 .if it was fair play twitter.com/jamesgraysport…James Gray@jamesgraysportBooed off on No 1 Court, Victoria Azarenka laughed, shook her head and banged her fists together in response as she left the court.#Wimbledon411Booed off on No 1 Court, Victoria Azarenka laughed, shook her head and banged her fists together in response as she left the court.#Wimbledon https://t.co/EmrhsVUxJjWas this a Ross (friends) @vika7 😂😂😂 .if it was fair play twitter.com/jamesgraysport…Wh*re of Babylon@MonteSpiceThis is so badass I love it twitter.com/jamesgraysport…James Gray@jamesgraysportBooed off on No 1 Court, Victoria Azarenka laughed, shook her head and banged her fists together in response as she left the court.#Wimbledon711Booed off on No 1 Court, Victoria Azarenka laughed, shook her head and banged her fists together in response as she left the court.#Wimbledon https://t.co/EmrhsVUxJjThis is so badass I love it twitter.com/jamesgraysport…s@slaychau_You go queen . Shame on @ElinaSvitolina twitter.com/jamesgraysport…James Gray@jamesgraysportBooed off on No 1 Court, Victoria Azarenka laughed, shook her head and banged her fists together in response as she left the court.#Wimbledon29911Booed off on No 1 Court, Victoria Azarenka laughed, shook her head and banged her fists together in response as she left the court.#Wimbledon https://t.co/EmrhsVUxJjYou go queen . Shame on @ElinaSvitolina twitter.com/jamesgraysport…Court Theory 🎾@Court_Theory@jamesgraysport Really figured it was 'my hands are tied' but guess not...@jamesgraysport Really figured it was 'my hands are tied' but guess not...dora_the_explorer80@DTheExplorer80@jamesgraysport She watched too much Friends @jamesgraysport She watched too much Friends 😄 https://t.co/ZP0EhXCc7zNanya@NanyaBisnez@josemorgado Love how Azarenka gave the crowd the “Friends” version of the FU as she exited. Watch it again.3@josemorgado Love how Azarenka gave the crowd the “Friends” version of the FU as she exited. Watch it again.anauthenticmess@akshaya561997@TheTennisLetter Vika replied with a cheeky Friends-like “f*** off” gesture in return, rightfully so. 1@TheTennisLetter Vika replied with a cheeky Friends-like “f*** off” gesture in return, rightfully so. 😂 https://t.co/e0Swy493HFJennifer Smith@Jennife87853673@Tennis @vika7 is absolutely a champion and one of the most awesome players on tour. She did the right thing today and I think she is great for doing that.9@Tennis @vika7 is absolutely a champion and one of the most awesome players on tour. She did the right thing today and I think she is great for doing that.Reese Harman@ReeseRharman@jamesgraysport Is that Ross and Monica's secret code for giving each other the finger?9@jamesgraysport Is that Ross and Monica's secret code for giving each other the finger?"I won't even be able to duplicate what I did" – Victoria Azarenka on her gesture towards the Wimbledon crowd after Elina Svitolina matchVictoria Azarenka being booed off the court at Wimbledon 2023Victoria Azarenka discussed her exchange with the Wimbledon crowd in her post-match press conference. The Belarusian maintained that her gesture had no implications, and it was spontaneous.“I actually have no idea (what it meant). I don't know. I have no idea. I won't even be able to duplicate what I did. So it was, yeah,” she said.Azarenka further expressed her disappointment about the entire situation.“I can't control the crowd. I'm not sure that a lot of people were understanding what's happening. It's probably been a lot of Pimm's throughout the day. What we agreed on: it wasn't fair. It is what it is. What can I do?” she remarked.“It's been pretty consistent for the last 18, 19 months. I haven't done anything wrong, but keep getting different treatment sometimes,” Azarenka added.This wasn’t the first time an athlete from one of the countries involved in the ongoing war was booed off the court after a match loss.At the 2023 French Open, Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk received a similar reception from the crowd after she refused to shake hands with Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka following her loss. Russia’s Daria Kasatkina was treated similarly by the Parisian crowd after her loss to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina. Meanwhile, Svitolina herself was targeted by the crowd following her French Open defeat to Sabalenka.