<Tennis> German player refuses handshake with Chinese player, what exactly happened? —German media
Enlarge
On the 28th, Germany's Deutsche Welle reported that at the French Open tennis tournament, a Chinese player's unsportsmanlike conduct and dissatisfaction with a ruling developed into the unusual situation of a post-match handshake refusal. The photo shows the player involved, Wang Xinyu.
On May 28, 2026, the Chinese-language website of Germany's international broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported that at the French Open tennis tournament, a Chinese player's unsportsmanlike conduct and dissatisfaction with a ruling developed into the unusual situation of a post-match handshake refusal.
The article reported that in the second round of the women's singles at the French Open held in Paris, while Tamara Korpatsch (Germany) defeated Wang Xinyu, her clear refusal of the customary post-match handshake drew widespread attention.
It was explained that the trigger for the commotion was a shot near the baseline in the first set, and Wang, dissatisfied with the umpire's "out" call, crossed the net into Korpatsch's side of the court to check the ball mark. This action drew boos from the spectators in the venue, and the umpire also issued a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Regarding the background of the trouble, the article explained that the French Open, played on clay courts, unlike the other three Grand Slams, does not adopt an automatic line calling system, and still uses a method where the umpire directly checks the ball mark remaining on the court to make a ruling. It also reported that a journalist from sports media Eurosport indicated that Hawk-Eye (an electronic line-calling system) data showed the ball was actually about 8 mm outside the baseline, confirming that the "out" call was correct.
The article introduced that Korpatsch refused the handshake with Wang, who continued to dispute the ruling at the net after the match. It reported that Korpatsch stated, "I felt her behavior was extremely unsportsmanlike," and revealed that she told Wang directly, "I'm not shaking hands with you."
Furthermore, while Wang apologized for entering her opponent's court, she stated, "I admit the ball was out, but that's not the problem," and expressed distrust towards Korpatsch, who pointed to another ball mark to the umpire when the incident occurred. (Edited and translated by Kawajiri)
— 中国動画 (@RC00547555) May 28, 2026
Related News