Svitolina faces drama again in Ukraine: "It's a very sad day."

Mónica Barberán Munera | 9 Jul 2024 | 11.30

Streaming Challenger Piracicaba live tennis

🎾 Thiago Seyboth Wild vs Juan Manuel La Serna

Sign up with Bet365 here
Make your first deposit of at least €5
Go to the “Live” section and watch every match

Elina Svitolina took her quarterfinal qualification at Wimbledon as a ray of light on what was a dark day for the Ukrainian people. Svitolina faced her octaves match amidst a lot of sadness over the Russian attacks in her country, especially over the destruction of a children's hospital in Kiev that was hit by a missile. In a press conference, the Ukrainian once again talked about using tennis as a platform to raise awareness of the situation her country is facing, how difficult it was to play her last match after this devastating news, and how her victories are bringing some joy to her people.

- The hardship of facing her match after the latest news of the war

"It's a very sad day for all Ukrainians. It was very difficult for me to be here and do something. I just wanted to be in my room with my emotions. It's very hard to explain because for us Ukrainians, it's a very close-to-our-hearts and delicate issue, very sensitive emotions that we deal with every day. But today was one of the toughest because of that missile that hit the children's hospital. You see the images of what happened, many children lost their lives."

- Wimbledon, another tournament as a platform to raise awareness of what's happening in Ukraine

"This is one of the things that motivated me today, to lower my head and give my best. Every Ukrainian seeks their way to raise awareness, raise funds, and help in every way possible. My path is through tennis and that's what motivated me to do something. I tried to focus on my work and what I can control. Obviously, I'm playing in such an incredible tournament like Wimbledon and I also have to think about how to use that in some way for the Ukrainian people. In the end, my victory has been a small light that brings a happy moment for the Ukrainian people. I have received many messages of gratitude for my performance and my victory, and that brings me some joy on this very sad day."

- The tournament's permission to wear the black ribbon

"Wimbledon approved that I could wear the black ribbon and I feel it's understandable after such a big attack against my country. This is a great event for me, I want to play well here and try to give my best to defend the semifinal, but I also think about how important it is to go step by step. I've been doing quite well and I think I've had great matches since the first round against tough opponents. I've been playing well and handling the pressure, so I'll try to go out there and give my best in the next match."

- Ukrainian athletes, the visible face of the tragedy

"I've been talking with some of them. I feel that we, as athletes, have our platform. We represent our country on the world stage and I feel we are almost as powerful as some people representing our government. Every week, we compete on the big stages and we have this great platform. We not only represent ourselves but also the Ukrainian people. The support we've been receiving has been incredible and I believe we should keep using it. It's a lot of pressure and weight on our shoulders, but I feel honored to be one of the visible faces of Ukraine. I try to do my best every day to give this to my people."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Svitolina le vuelve a poner cara al drama en Ucrania: "Es un día muy triste"

WTA