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Glushko added that she is not allowed to play wearing a hostage pin, because the organizers said it's a political message.
By MATHILDA HELLER DECEMBER 30, 2024 18:45Israeli tennis player Lina Glushko was targeted by pro-Palestinian protesters who disrupted her match against Japanese player Naomi Osaka on Monday.
The match, which took place in New Zealand, was disrupted twice by protesters standing a few meters away from the players who shouted constant slogans such as "Free Palestine" and "Israel out" over loudspeakers.
Glusko left the match upset, accompanied by a security guard.
She told N12 that right after she qualified for the championship, she received a lot of messages from pro-Palestinian organizations saying that she was a former IDF soldier and "a child murderer."
"It doesn't bother me because I get quite a few of those and I just block them," 24-year-old Glushko told N12. "After they posted the game schedule on the competition page, 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, 2024Glushko said the chants against her and Israel were constant and prevented her from playing.
"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."
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Glushko said that both her 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 field."
Glushko added that she hoped she would win the 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 incorrect media coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, adding that as an athlete, she spends more time outside Israel than in it 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, but it's nevertheless international symbol. But they didn't agree."
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