As she returns to her war-torn homeland for the first time in nine months, Elina Svitolina discusses her responsibility to strike back on the field: ‘When I face a Russian, I fight like a soldier in Ukraine’

This weekend, Elina Svitolina made the difficult journey to Kiev, by train from Poland, and turned on the app that warns Ukrainians of incoming missile and drone attacks.

Her visit includes traveling to Odesa to see her 85-year-old grandmother and other family members, attending the finals of a tournament supported by her children’s foundation, while also conducting coaching clinics.

It’s a far cry from the height of summer a few months ago, when she made her emotional journey to the Wimbledon semi-finals, charged with a wider symbolism for her country.

This is her first trip home since February and in the intervening time she has put together one of the most remarkable competitive seasons of any athlete this year, regardless of sport.

After going unranked just over a year ago following the birth of her first child, she has risen to No. 25 in the world, a run that also included an appearance in the French Open quarter-final.

But as she sadly notes, she doesn’t expect much to change in Ukraine, where fighting continues.

“I have a lot planned for this visit and I will see my grandmother and other relatives, which I am looking forward to,” said Svitolina, sitting on a soft sofa in the players’ lounge at last week’s Paris Masters, where she watched her husband – French star Gael Monfils – in action.

‘My grandmother seems to be doing well, but Odesa is quite a dangerous place at the moment because they are attacking the port, there are alarms or bombs there almost every night. I guess after so long people get more and more used to living in these conditions, so she’s become more used to it.

‘I wanted to go, I know there is a risk but we have some good security systems in place and I will follow all the procedures, such as having the app, and going to the shelters if I have to.

‘I feel like I have to go to my home country, I miss my family and the culture.’ Between returning in April and succumbing to an ankle injury after the US Open, Svitolina – who spends much of her time living in Monaco with her husband and son – played 33 matches.

Nine of them were against players from Russia or Belarus, seven of which she won before heading straight to her seat without the usual handshake at the net. It is a practice followed by all Ukrainian players against that opposition.

None was as charged as her fourth round match at Wimbledon against Victoria Azarenka, which turned out to be one of the matches of the year: a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 victory that was rarely ever seen in a partisan and pulsating atmosphere played. seen in the stately All England Club.

Svitolina snaps at Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka after her quarter-final defeat at French Open

“Wimbledon was incredible in terms of support and this really pushed me to play my best tennis,” she says. “A lot of Ukrainians feel like Britain is a second home, so it’s a special bond and actually that match was one of the highlights of my career. I was so happy afterwards.’

A defining feature of 2023 was the continued tension in the women’s locker room between players from one country and players from the two allies who destroyed the country, and no one was more entangled in that than Ukraine’s top player.

‘It hasn’t gotten any easier, there are still a lot of things happening on and off the field. It takes a lot of energy to be in the dressing room and play against them because I feel like they represent their country and I represent mine.

‘It feels a bit like war, of course it’s not a war, but still there are different types of battles within this war, so every time I step on the field against them it’s a big motivation and I also know how many people are back in Ukraine and watching and I feel this responsibility too.

‘It takes a lot of energy for me, so you have to think that pressure is a privilege. I’ll go there and fight like a soldier in Ukraine does.

‘It has been an energy-consuming year, mentally it is still difficult, but I have found the motivation every day to continue working on my professional path, because I know I can use it as a platform for more important things and to raise awareness about Ukraine enlarge. and raising money for the children.’

She admits she is concerned that the terrible events in Gaza have taken some of the attention away from her own country.

‘It’s been almost two years for us, I see that awareness around the world has waned at the moment, which is worrying.

Her victory at Wimbeldon over Victoria Azarenka took place in a very charged atmosphere

‘Of course I know there are so many bad things happening in the world. I am just one individual doing as much as I can in this terrible situation.”

She plans to resume full training upon her return from Ukraine, ready for next year on the WTA Tour, which was further plagued this week by surface complaints at the end-of-season WTA Finals in Mexico.

“I saw that the court was not ready for it, I don’t know why the WTA wanted to organize the hearing in Cancun,” she admits. “It’s a shame that the best eight players in the world are playing in these conditions, it’s terrible for our sport to be honest.”

But as she knows all too well, these are very much first world problems, compared to infinitely bigger problems happening elsewhere.