Israel’s top woman tennis player, Lina Glushko, was the target of abuse by pro-Palestinian protesters who disrupted her match against Japanese opponent Naomi Osaka in Auckland, New Zealand on Monday.
The match was held up twice by protesters standing a few meters away from the players as they shouted constant slogans such as “Free Palestine” and “Israel out” over loudspeakers.
Glushko, who lost 6-4, 6-4 against the former world No. 1 player, left the court upset, accompanied by a security guard.She told N12 that after she qualified for the main draw of the event , she received many messages from pro-Palestinian organizations saying that she was a former soldier and as such, “a child murderer.”
“It doesn’t bother me because I get quite a few of those and I just block them out,” 24-year-old Glushko told N12.
“After they posted the schedule, it got to the point where people tagged me and wrote in the comments, ‘Don’t you think it’s a shame that you’re letting someone who murdered children play in the competition?"
“I didn’t respond. I thought it wouldn’t affect the game,” she added.
Lina glushko es de Israel y está jugando el atp de Auckland, New Zealand.Hay protestas contra Israel afuera del court. pic.twitter.com/4XJhDUsKbd
— Rafael Paiva (@Raiva91) December 30, 2024
Glushko said the chants against her and Israel were persistent and disrupted her play.
“At first they just shouted against the country, but then they used my name personally and created slogans that were very difficult to hear.”
“I felt very much like a victim of the situation and very alone. I tried very hard to disconnect. It really brought me back to the beginning of the war, so it was difficult for me to play tennis when my country was in such a difficult situation.”Glushko said that both she and Osaka were shocked by the chants.
“Because it was so loud, we stopped the game for a few minutes, and then it spurred them on even more because they realized we stopped because of them,” she said.
“During the game, I also received two physical treatments, and at the end, she asked me if I was okay. I don’t know if it was because of the shouting or the treatments, but in the end I just ran off the court.”
Glushko added that she hoped she would win her next match: “My biggest victory over them will be that I win and they will have to see my face as much as possible.”
International antisemitism
She lamented the biased and distorted media coverage of the Israel-Hamas War, adding that as an athlete, she spends more time abroad than in Israel and sees how in some countries, “they don’t even know about October 7 or that there are hostages.”
She added that she is not allowed to play wearing a hostage pin, because the organizers said it’s a political message.
“It was clear that it was specifically against Israel. If it had been related to American hostages, people all over the world would have played with a pin. I explained that while it was related to the war in Israel, it’s nevertheless an international symbol. But they didn’t agree.”