Elina Svitolina revealed that her fellow tennis players
Iga Swiatek and
Stefanos Tsitsipas made donations to her foundation to help Ukraine.
The Ukrainian player, who has a career-high ranking of World No. 3, has been working to help those in her home country since Russia's invasion in February 2022. In June of this year, the 29-year-old became the second ambassador for UNITED24, a platform run by the Ukrainian government to raise money for Ukraine during the conflict.
"Every time I won on the court, I was happy to bring victory to my country. I have always been a proud Ukrainian. Today, when my country is facing a horrific enemy, I will not stand aside. I will do my best to help Ukraine win its most important fight. I am honored to become part of UNITED24 and join efforts with the President of Ukraine," she said at the time.
Moreover, she has also set up a foundation in her name - the Elina Svitolina Foundation - to help "develop sports and tennis in Ukraine", with Svitolina stating that she wants "to open the door to a great sport for children in my native Ukraine and maybe light up new Ukrainian stars on the world stage."
Svitolina thanks colleagues for their support
Now, Svitolina has expressed her gratitude to her fellow players Swiatek and Tsitsipas for donating to her foundation and for showing support to Ukraine: "Stefanos Tsitsipas made a donation to my foundation, I am very grateful to him," she said of the Greek player, currently ranked No. 6 in the world.
Svitolina also thanked World No. 1 Swiatek for her efforts to support Ukraine, saying the Polish player "did a lot for Ukrainians, our foundation. She transferred a very large amount to United24. This really helped us to make the tennis camps for children that we hold every year. She is a very powerful support."
The 22-year-old has been very vocal about her support for Ukraine since the war began and has often been seen wearing a ribbon with the colors of the Ukrainian flag on her hat at tournaments. Shortly after the invasion, Swiatek sent an emotional message to the country.
"I want to show my support to all the people who are suffering in Ukraine," she said, "Seeing those images is really emotional for me. I wouldn't even imagine stuff like that happening in the country next to me. I hope everybody will be safe in the end," she said in February 2022.
