Having announced a break from the game two months ago, Elina Svitolina was back on court this weekend—only it was in the umpire's chair.
The 27-year-old from Ukraine, married to fellow pro Gaël Monfils, is due to give birth to their first child in around three months. But she says it was the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine that led her to step away from tour when she did.
"When the invasion started, it was extremely tough mentally to compete and to have my family in Ukraine," Svitolina told the Telegraph. "For me, I felt not in the right place when I was playing on the court. I was worried about my family. It was really tough to focus 100 per cent on my job, that's why I wanted to share my view. But right now I’m really happy I could take my time, refocus myself, find where I'm needed."
And Svitolina has been doing just that, raising awareness of the conflict by working with various organizations. So far this month, she has been to the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Switzerland and is officiated an Iga Swiatek-Agniezska Radwanska exo for Ukraine relief in Krakow, Poland, on Saturday.
"I want people to know what is happening, because I feel like it’s faded away a little bit from the news," she said.
