Tennis world erupts over bizarre post-match moment at Aus Open
A strange post-match moment between two female rivals has sent fans into a frenzy at the Australian Open.
Barbora Strycova and Yulia Putintseva were the talk of the tennis world on Monday afternoon when their rivalry came to a head after their first-round match.
Putintseva got the better of Strycova, prevailing 6-4, 7-6 in a tense affair.
But the most tense moment came as the players met at the net, with their bizarre handshake immediately going viral.
Putintseva is notorious for her lame efforts in shaking hands with her opponent, but she appeared to be a little bit overzealous on this occasion.
I KNEW STRYCOVA AND PUTINTSEVA WON'T DISSAPPOINT ME! HANDSHAKE OF THE YEAR pic.twitter.com/hCo1PHmGnS
— LorenaPopa🕵️♀️ 🏆🥖👑 (@popalorena) January 14, 2019
Strycova recoiled after Putintseva went in a big shake, berating her opponent.
Putitseva then shot back with some verbal barbs, before they both made their way off court.
The fiery moment left fans and pundits in a frenzy.
Omg Putintseva – Strycova ?! Bring All The Popcorn
— Carole Bouchard (@carole_bouchard) January 14, 2019
Omfg the handshake between Strycova and Putintseva 😂😂😂😂😂
— Sudovad (@Davodus) January 14, 2019
That handshake between Putintseva and Strycova was a little tense#AusOpen
— 🌊🌴🐛🐢 (@SWGOAT) January 14, 2019
Putintseva made sure to be extra shady…she knew what Strycova said about Serena and didn’t like it 👀 https://t.co/u4XlFAaIMv
— Mynk 💕 (@MonteSpice) January 14, 2019
Strycova explained what happened after the match.
“I like to squeeze hand normal, but she squeezed me, like, hardcore! These bones — oww! Oww!” she said.
“I was like, ‘Why’d you do that?’ She said, ‘You squeezed my hand.’ I said, ‘I squeezed your hand normal! Just let it be.’
“I didn’t really care. It’s nothing big. Just, why?”
Putintseva and Strycova have history in the handshake game, with Strycova famously teaching her young opponent how to shake properly in 2014 when she was unimpressed with the limp effort she received.
Strycova has also demanded better handshakes from opponents in the past.
Ok, Strycova should learn Ostapenko how to do a real handshake! pic.twitter.com/DFqIffWZYa
— LorenaPopa🕵️♀️ 🏆🥖👑 (@popalorena) August 8, 2017
Not to mention these bizarre efforts Putintseva has offered up in the past.
Putintseva-Linette handshake: (via cyclo on tennis forum) pic.twitter.com/BlbmS6JNja
— . (@returnofserve) April 4, 2017
Blink and you will miss the "handshake". 😂#putintseva #niculescu #miamiopen pic.twitter.com/zLWmtuOzWu
— Ashish TV 🎾🎥 (@Ashish__TV) March 21, 2018