PARIS – Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina announced on Sunday that she would donate all the winnings from her future tournaments to support the army and humanitarian actions in her country, the target of an armed invasion launched Thursday by Russian troops.
“I pledge to redistribute the purses from my future tournaments to support the military and humanitarian needs and to help them defend you, our country,” Svitolina posted on his account. Twitter in a “letter to (his) homeland”.
“I am currently far from you, far from my loved ones, far from my people, but my heart is completely filled with you,” she wrote. “My people, every day I fear for you. I’m devastated, my eyes keep crying, my heart keeps bleeding. But I am also so proud to see our people, our mothers, our fathers, our brothers, our sisters, our children who are so brave and strong to defend us. They are heroes. »
“You are in all my thoughts and prayers. You are with me all the time. I am Ukraine, we are Ukraine”, concludes the player, 15th in the world, signing “Elina Svitolina, a proud Ukrainian”.
???????????????? #Ukraine #Ukraine #HelpUkraine #IStandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/IiWE1v5Uv1
– Elina Monfils (@ElinaSvitolina) February 27, 2022
Svitolina, wife of French tennis player Gaël Monfils, had posted on Thursday, the first day of the invasion of Russian troops, a message on her account Twitterexpressing his dismay, and asking “please help us to end this war”.
Many other athletes around the world have also multiplied messages of solidarity with Ukraine since Thursday, while international sports bodies react by canceling or relocating competitions planned in Russia, in particular the Champions League final moved to the Stade de France, in the Paris region, instead of Saint Petersburg.
