Elina Svitolina thanks Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for support in the Ukraine war

After all, Pavlyuchenkova and her family continue to live in Russia. The Ukrainian, who will donate all of her prize money from the upcoming tournaments to her home country, can therefore understand why not every athlete makes a concrete statement.

“Some Russians are afraid. They are also afraid for their families,” said Svitolina.

“Personal ambitions and political motives do not justify violence,” wrote number 14 in the WTA rankings: “It not only takes away our future, but also our children’s. I’m confused and don’t know how to help.” She is not afraid to speak her mind: “I am against war and violence.”

Elina Svitolina worries about her family

In the interview, Svitolina also reiterated her deep concerns about the conflict in her home country, where some of her family members are currently still, including her grandmother, who was too weak to flee, and her uncle and aunt.

“It’s very sad to know that I don’t know when I can see my grandmother again,” said the Tokyo bronze medalist. At least her parents were able to get to safety.

About Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, where Svitolina spent many years of her youth at a tennis academy, she said: “Some of my friends still live there. They show me videos of the explosions, of the courts that are being bombed, of the Schools being destroyed.”

After her opening victory at the tournament in Monterrey against the Russian Anastasia Potapova, the 27-year-old also emphasized: “I was on a mission for my country. This is a very special event for me. All the prize money that I will earn here goes to the Ukrainian army.”