Elina Svitolina Arms Up in Emotional Kharkiv Return

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Photo credit: Getty  

Armed with her racquet, Elina Svitolina launched her tennis dreams in Kharkiv.

A camouflage-clad Svitolina returned to Kharkiv armed with an automatic weapon in a fearless show of support for her fellow Ukrainians.

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Since Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine back in February of 2022, Svitolina has been an outspoken advocate for her nation and human rights causes durring a horrific ongoing war.

In a social media post with images of her trip to Kharkiv, Svitolina said she’s inspired by the heroism of her people and the collective courage Ukrainians have displayed under attack.

“If you ask me, where do I find the motivation to fight in sports arenas? This is my country, my people, my Kharkiv and our heroes,” Svitolina said in an Instagram post.

Last January, Svitolina, Dayana Yastremska and Marta Kostyuk made history at the Australian Open. For the first time in Open Era history, three Ukrainian women reached at least the fourth round of a Grand Slam in Melbourne.

Svitolina said the fierce fortitude Ukrainians display daily has fueled her fighting spirit on court, but concedes the ongoing war leaves her feeling frightened and empty over the death and devastation.

“People who haven’t experienced it can’t really understand what it feels like to have no home, to feel safe nowhere, to have family in Ukraine, under the bombs, to know that Ukrainian cities are being destroyed,” Svitolina told L’Equipe. “It’s both fear and a great emptiness.”