Everyone had a theory about the missing group photo at the WTA Finals, and now the speculation finally has an answer. Ukrainian Tennis dropped a statement that points to the reason most people had already guessed, and they strongly believe that their player, Elina Svitolina, should not be blamed for it. 

“If you think there won’t be a group photo at the WTA Finals because of Elina Svitolina, you’re wrong,” Ukrainian Tennis wrote in their statement on X. “There won’t be one because of the presence of players from Russia and Belarus – two countries that continue to k**l Ukrainians and destroy our country.” 

“Every single day. Systematically. Deliberately. That’s why there won’t be a group photo,” they added. 

In other words, the group photo was never going to happen with this field, but the account rejected the idea that Elina Svitolina should be singled out for it. Ukrainian fans were quick to spread the word, explaining that the attention on Svitolina was misplaced from the beginning. 

The row began earlier in the week, when the WTA announced it would replace its traditional group shot of the eight qualifiers with individual portraits. The tour described the new approach as a way to “celebrate each qualifier’s individuality, personal style and unique story,” but did not say why the group photo had been dropped. 

Svitolina’s long-standing refusal to pose with Russian and Belarusian players is well known. She has not been shaking hands or posing for photos with Russian or Belarusian players since 2022, and from 2023 the WTA has even displayed official messages on screens in her matches for the spectators to respect the decision to avoid any booing for the players. 

This year’s field includes Andreeva and Sabalenka, and all three were drawn in the same group. That made the question of a group photo almost impossible to avoid. Journalists and tennis experts had already guessed the reason, but now the speculation has taken concrete shape. 

Svitolina’s WTA Finals portrait and the week ahead

The tour revealed the portraits on Instagram with the description “The eight best singles players in the world,” and the post garnered 44,000 likes in just hours. Svitolina’s image had her standing in front of a cream-draped backdrop, beside a purple plinth topped by a silver vase of deep red calla lilies. 

She was wearing an oversized camel bomber jacket over a grey pinstripe shirt dress with a blue collared shirt underneath with lace trim around the hem. Black polka-dot sheer tights and pointed black heels completed the look, with her hair pulled back neatly. 

Not all players were separated, either. The WTA’s social channels have shared reels shot together by Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina, along with a selfie featuring Gauff, Sabalenka, Rybakina and Andreeva. Those moments further demonstrated that the players did meet at one place for the photoshoot and were allowed to mingle with everyone and pose in smaller groups, which only made the absence of the full lineup stand out more. 

The Ukrainian has dealt with a lot of noise in the past few weeks, and there has been no attention paid to her tennis.

Svitolina opens her campaign against Andreeva on Monday, November 9, in the second match of the day’s session after Sabalenka plays Karolina Muchova.

She was seen practicing with the world No. 1 Elena Rybakina at the Indian Wells courts before the showdown begins on November 8. 

This is her first appearance at the WTA Finals since 2019, after a strong 46-14 season, and she is still the only Ukrainian to ever qualify for the WTA Finals in the history of the event.