When Elina Svitolina won her first WTA title in nearly two years on a sunny day at Strasbourg last May, a delighted crowd showered her with cheers as she held up her trophy.
When Svitolina presented the trophies following the girls’ final at a tournament her foundation sponsored in November in Kyiv, Ukraine, it was inside a dark bomb shelter during a missile strike. Svitolina, the rest of the tournament organizers and the teenage participants made the best of the nearly four hours they spent inside the cramped quarters — as they waited for the attack to end in order to start the boys’ final — but it was yet another stark reminder of what daily life is like in Svitolina’s beloved country as the Russian invasion continues.
“It’s these kind of moments that my priorities just shift,” Svitolina, 29, told ESPN last month. “I miss my country a lot. I miss my people. And for me it’s really important to go back when I have time and to really feel again these moments when I’m home because I feel like Ukraine will always be my home, doesn’t matter where I really live. [It’s] why I feel like using my platform is the least that I can do for my country and for my people.”
Since the war began in February 2022, Svitolina has done just that — and she will continue to do so at the Australian Open and beyond this season.
The highest-ranked Ukrainian tennis player in WTA history, and one of the country’s most recognizable public figures, Svitolina has been front and center in raising awareness and money for her homeland, as well as giving Ukrainians something to cheer for. Since she returned to competition in April after giving birth to daughter Skai (with husband and fellow tennis player Gael Monfils) in October 2022, Svitolina won the Strasbourg title and reached the quarterfinals at the French Open and the semifinals at Wimbledon. She was named the WTA Comeback Player of the Year and ended the season ranked inside the top 25. Through it all, she mentioned her country whenever she could, held fundraising events, met with potential donors and spent time with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on multiple occasions.
“I’m representing a country who is at war right now,” Svitolina said. “I see that a lot of people are following my results, and I feel the support from Ukrainians around the world as well. It’s a lot of pressure but it’s a responsibility I have and a big motivation for me. Every day I wake up and I have a…
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