Ukrainian tennis star Yelyzaveta Kotliar is being investigated by her own country after shaking hands with a Russian opponent at the Australian Open.

It is common practice for tennis players to shake hands at the end of matches but Ukrainian stars across the ATP and WTA tours have an unwritten rule about snubbing the traditional gesture after matches against Russian and Belarusian opponents.

That has been the case ever since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – which started almost two years ago and the conflict is still going on in eastern Europe – with Britain’s top general warning the UK public this week they may be conscripted.

Kotliar’s decision to shake hands with Russian star Vlada Mincheva after their first-round encounter at this year’s Australian Open has caused outrage in Ukraine with the 16-year-old’s father forced to defend his daughter’s actions.