Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina has announced she will be taking a break from the sport due to the 'unbearable pain' caused by Russia 's recent invasion of her home country. Russia’s attack on their neighbours began just five weeks ago, and has devastated Svitolina’s homeland.
As a result, the 27-year-old has therefore made the decision to step away from the sport due to both the mental effects of the war, and struggles with her back. Svitolina is currently ranked 20th in the world and has 16 WTA titles to her name.
However she has endured a difficult start to 2022 on the court - no doubt down to the struggles back home - after being recently knocked out the opening round of both the Indian Wells Masters and the Miami Open whilst out competing in the United States.
Announcing her break from the game on Instagram, the 27-year-old wrote: "It’s been an extremely difficult couple of months for me, not only mentally but also physically. For a quite long time I’ve been struggling with my back. The pain didn’t let me prepare for the tournaments at my best.
"Meanwhile, observing with unbearable pain in my heart what is happening in my homeland Ukraine and with how much bravery and courage our Ukrainian people are defending our country, this gave me a huge push to continue and fight on court. Now, my body can’t handle it anymore and I need to rest.
"Therefore I’m sad to announce I will be missing the Fed Cup and some of my favourite tournaments in Europe. But I’m sure I will see you soon! Thank you all for your support in this challenging period."
What do you make of Svitolina's decision? Let us know in the comments section.
Whilst competing through the war Svitolina has flown the flag for her nation, donating her tournament winnings from the Monterrey Open to the Ukrainian army.
The 27-year-old also made headlines when she threatened to boycott her match with Russian opponent Anastasia Potapova in Monterrey, after demanding that all competitors from Russia should compete under neutral nationality.
Svitolina' admitted she did not 'blame' the Russian players whatsoever, but called on the ATP, WTA and ITF to take action. However, she made a U-turn on the decision to boycott the match after tournament organisers agreed to her requests - with her featuring in the Ukrainian colours for the match against Potapova.
