Yulia Putintseva has continued her feud with Maria Sakkari after the pair swapped angry words at the end of their Round of 32 Bad Hamburg Open match. Sakkari emerged victorious after a long and draining two-and-a-half-hour match, winning 7-5, 7-6(6). Putintseva met Sakkari at the net to exchange the usual post-match handshake but appeared to slap the Greek’s hand away and avoid eye contact.
Sakkari took immediate exception to Putintseva’s actions, and said something unintelligible to Putintseva, who responded with a sarcastic curtsy. They continued their argument after shaking hands with the umpire, with Sakkari telling the Kazakh that:
“Nobody likes you. When you shake hands with someone, look them in the eyes. Just be like a human being.”
Yulia Putintseva has used her Instagram stories to respond to the criticism, insisting that she shook hands per the proper protocol, even if she did not embrace her opponent like some players in the men’s game do. She posted:
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"By the way - not that I care - I shook her hand as most women do. Clearly not according to the 'hugging protocol' some men seem to follow."
Maria Sakkari walked away from the row three times at the umpire's chair, but returned each time to continue the war of words. Yulia Putintseva's social media post confirms she is unrepentant about the incident.
Maria Sakkari is putting the incident behind her to concentrate on improving her season
Once ranked No. 3 in the world, Maria Sakkari is having a difficult season. Now at No. 86, she is searching for form. One quarterfinal at the Linz Open in January represents a poor return from the talented Greek player. After the disagreement with Putintseva, she played down the incident and said she still respected her opponent as a player:
"I don't think she's going to invite me for dinner for the rest of our lives, but I don't care, to be honest. I have very good friends and I'll go to dinner with them. Let me leave it here, and just say that I have respect for her as a player, but that's it."
This is not the first time Putintseva has been involved in controversy. Last year, she received criticism at the US Open after a spat with a ball girl, for which she later apologized.
