‘My Family Is There’ – Heartbroken WTA Star Elina Svitolina Says Her Parents Are Stuck in Ukraine as Belarus Joins Russian Attack
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‘My Family Is There’ – Heartbroken WTA Star Elina Svitolina Says Her Parents Are Stuck in Ukraine as Belarus Joins Russian Attack
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Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 21, 2022 Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina reacts during her third round match against Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka REUTERS/Morgan Sette
Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 21, 2022 Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina reacts during her third round match against Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka REUTERS/Morgan Sette
The situation is turning out to be grave amidst the increasing geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe. Many Ukrainian tennis stars are opening up on the horrifying incidents involving them and their families; Sergiy Stakhovsky even admitted that he is joining the reserve force to defend his country. Recently, former World Number 3, Elina Svitolina, has revealed the ordeal involving her family back in Ukraine.
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Elina Svitolina reveals grim news about her family
The tennis star opened up on how her family was terrified of the situation in her home country. She said, “It’s very tough to explain each time that I talk with my family or with my friends. It’s really tough to find words how to explain what’s happening. Really until the very last moment we did not believe that this war would actually start and then everything just happened at night and everything started. Everyone is terrified, everyone is heartbroken.”
Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 21, 2022. Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina reacts during her third round match against Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka REUTERS/Morgan Sette
Further, she added, “My family is there. Lots of my friends who didn’t leave the country are there. They are fighting for their life, some of them are fighting for our country. It takes a lot of courage and it’s unbelievable that some people actually took weapons in their hands and went to fight for our land. I have my parents there, I have my grandmother, I have my uncle, my aunt. I try to talk with them quite constantly because it’s really important to keep the contact with them, how I can help them.”
WTA star @ElinaSvitolina 🇺🇦 talks to @Babsschett about the fear & anxiety Ukrainian athletes are experiencing – & reveals plans to donate prize money from upcoming tournaments.
"I have to do something…I cannot just sit and watch what is happening."
— Eurosport (@eurosport) February 27, 2022
With more news coming in, Belarus is preparing to send soldiers into Ukraine in support of its ally Russia.
BREAKING: Belarus preparing to send soldiers into Ukraine in support of Russia's invasion as early as Monday, U.S. official says – WaPo
— BNO News (@BNONews) February 28, 2022
BREAKING: Belarus says constitutional referendum passes, revoking its non-nuclear status and paving the way for Russian nuclear weapons in the country
— BNO News (@BNONews) February 27, 2022
Svitolina’s 2022 season thus far
Coming to tennis, Svitolina has had a disappointing season so far. She lost in the opening round of her first two tournaments in Adelaide. Further, in the Australian Open, she went down to Victoria Azarenka in the third round. Her next tournament was the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, where she exited in the round-of-16.
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 7, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Elina Svitolina of Ukraine hits to Leylah Fernandez of Canada on day nine of the 2021. U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Svitolina will aim to come back strongly in the coming tournaments and hope that the situation in her home country eases down soon.
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