Elina Svitolina admits it breaks her heart to see some people forgetting about Ukraine and not even knowing that the Russian invasion still hasn’t ended. In June, Svitolina became an ambassador for UNITED24, a platform dedicated to collecting charitable funds in support of Ukraine.
The platform, launched by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, has already collected $1,8 million. “We’re here to do everything to tell people, to introduce them (to) what is really happening in Ukraine, because a lot of people come to me and ask, ‘Is there still a war?’ And this is really painful to hear,” Svitolina told Reuters.
Svitolina eventually gave up on talking with the WTA, ATP
Ukrainian tennis players had multiple conversations with the WTA and ATP, trying to convince them to impose harsher sanctions on Russian and Belarusian players. The WTA and ATP banned Russia and Belarusian from competing in team events such as the Billie Jean King Cup Finals and Davis Cup Finals.
Also, the WTA and ATP suspended all tournaments scheduled to take place in Russia. But banning Russian and Belarusian players from competing in individual Tour events wasn’t something that the WTA and ATP really wanted or strongly considered.
“In tennis, there’s been nothing done towards these athletes representing these countries. In the end, we stopped trying because it was just impossible to convince them to change their minds,” Svitolina told Reuters.
Svitolina, who last competed in March, announced the pregnancy in May. In October, Svitolina and her husband Gael Monfils welcomed their first child. Svitolina, who is expected to return to action at some point during the 2023 season, reveals one of her biggest goals is to win an Olympic medal for her country.
“My main goal is to get into the Olympics and hopefully to bring back a medal for Ukraine,” Svitolina said. It remains to be seen when will Svitolina return to action.
