Yep, “and the good news is,” a message such as SSL handshake problem tells you definitively that the SSL connection is never successfully getting established ... so, the root cause of the problem is not as you fear.   Your fears in this case are a red-herring.   The server isn’t refusing you.   It never hears from you at all.   Follow the links mentioned above to help resolve the problem.   (And, if you have administrative access to the server that you are attempting to use, always check its server logs.   Your own computer may also log failed connection-attempts and provide useful diagnostic information.)