Wimbledon star Elina Svitolina was left in tears and gave an emotional speech on Monday after Russia’s attack on a children’s hospital in Ukraine.
Russia’s invasion of Svitolina’s country is still ongoing and it is reported their new attack on the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv has killed at least 19 people.
It was heavily on Svitolina’s mind as she faced China’s Xinyu Wang in the last 16 atWimbledon on Monday and she addressed the horror in her on-court interview after her 6-2 6-1 victory.
‘It was a good performance from my side today,’ Svitolina said on the No.2 Court as she fought back the tears. ‘It’s a very difficult day today for Ukrainian people.’
After a long pause, the two-time Wimbledon semi-finalist added: ‘It was not easy to focus on the match.
‘Since the morning, it’s very difficult to read the news, just to go on the court… I’m happy I could play today and get a win.’
Speaking in her post-match press conference, Svitolina added: ‘Yeah, it’s incredibly sad day today for all Ukrainians.
‘It was really difficult for me to really be here in a way and do anything. I just wanted to be in my room, just be there with my emotions, with everything. You know, when you have these sad days where you don’t want to do anything, it was this kind of day for me.
‘It’s difficult really to explain, I guess, because of course for us Ukrainians, it’s very close to our heart and very sensitive topic, very sensitive emotions that we feel every single day.
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‘But today was one of the days where it was even more difficult because the missile landed on the hospital, the kids’ hospital.
‘Straightaway you see the images and everything that happened there. So many kids lost their lives. Yeah, it’s extremely tough day today.
‘I [still] have my family there [in Ukraine]. My dad just was there for a couple of weeks to see my grandmother. I have my uncle. His family is there.
‘I have many friends there. Pretty much everyone is based in Ukraine. I have contact pretty much every single day. I’ve been talking, yeah, on a daily basis with Sergiy Stakhovsky as well. I guess you guys know him. Also a well-known name in tennis. He’s helping a lot with my foundation.’
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