Iga Swiatek and Agnieszka Radwanska played in a mixed doubles charity match in aid of Ukraine. The match included a stunning rally involving all four players on the court.
Swiatek has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine since Russia launched its illegal invasion of the country in February 2022. Unfortunately, the war Russia started continues five months after it was first waged.
Unsurprisingly, Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina has consistently spoken about the horror of seeing her country at war. She believes decisive actions, such as banning Russian athletes, need to be taken.
Swiatek and her team demonstrated their support for Ukraine by playing a pivotal role in organizing an exhibition event to help the country, including a mixed doubles match with Svitolina as the umpire.
The 17-year-old Martin Pavelski partnered with Swiatek, while Radwanska played alongside former Ukrainian player Sergiy Stakhovsky, who has also spoken consistently about Russia's aggression toward his homeland.
Swiatek and Pavelski narrowly won the match 6-4, 10-12, 1-0. They also came out on top in a fantastic rally that lasted nearly a minute and featured great shots from all the players.
As seen in the video below, there was a combination of drop volleys, baseline hitting, and lobs before Pavelski eventually produced an excellent forehand down the line to secure the point.
It was great to watch the players on the court and the fans in the stadium enjoying themselves. The event raised 500,000 euros to help children and youth in Ukraine, and Swiatek spoke about how the initiative made her emotional.
"It is an initiative that I was very emotional about. I am glad that we are doing all this for a good cause and the money from the match will be donated to children and youth from Ukraine. I invite everyone to celebrate tennis together today,"
.