Elina Svitolina struggled to contain her tears despite her impressive fourth-round win at Wimbledon because of events happening in her homeland.
Svitolina backed up her win over two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur by beating China's Wang Xinyu. She dropped just three games in a comprehensive victory that lasted less than an hour.
For the second straight year, she will contest a Wimbledon quarterfinal and will face fourth seed and the current favorite for the title, Elena Rybakina, on Wednesday.
A tearful Svitolina labeled the situation in her country as a "sad day" after a fresh wave of strikes by Russia hit a children's hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine. Reports on Monday indicated that at least 36 people died while 140 were injured.
Svitolina, who has been leading the fight against the war through her voice and donating part of her finances to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, was emotionally and mentally overhauled upon receiving the news.
Shortly after her thumping win over Wang, the 29-year-old burst into tears during the on-court interview. She wore a black ribbon throughout the match to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine after Wimbledon organizers relaxed its strict all-white dress code and permitted her to do so.
"It's a very difficult day for Ukrainian people,' she begins, before becoming emotional. It's a very difficult day for Ukrainian people,' she begins, before becoming emotional."
Afterward, Svtolina handled media obligations in her press conference, where she spoke in detail about her mental well-being in the current circumstances and how she intends to use her platform to raise awareness of this sensitive issue.
"When you have these sad days you don’t want to do anything. It was this kind of day for me. It’s difficult for me to explain. For us Ukrainians it’s very close to our heart. It’s a sensitive topic. It’s sensitive emotions we feel every day. It was one of the days that’s even more difficult."
"Of course, this is one of the things that motivated me today. I have to put my head down and show up and do my best. My very best. Every Ukrainian is using their own way to raise awareness and raise money and help in every possible way they can. My way is through tennis. This really motivated me today to do something."
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