Two-time Dubai Open champion Elina Svitolina, who received a wild card entry into the tournament this year. (Getty Images)
Elina Svitolina of Ukraine put up a heart touching tweet titled, ‘Letter to my Motherland’
Elina Svitolina is one of the many sportspersons across the world pleading for peace. Svitolina has been very active on social media platforms, publicly condemning the Russian invasion. The tennis star has now taken it a notch higher by committing to distribute her prize money among the citizens of her country.
Born in Odessa, Ukraine and then moving on to Kharkiv, one of the cities under Russian attack, Svitolina has always shown immense love for her country. In the initial stages of her career, she turned down offers to change her citizenship in exchange for large sums of money.
Svitolina made a heart touching Tweet addressing fellow Ukrainians. In her message titled ‘Letter to my Motherland’, she wrote, “My people everyday I fear for you. I am devastated, my eyes can’t stop crying, my heart won’t stop bleeding.” She further adds, “But I am so proud. See our people, our fathers, our mothers, our brothers, our sisters, our children. They are so brave and strong, fighting to defend you. They are heroes.”
“I commit to redistribute the prize money of my next tournaments to support army and humanitarian needs and help them to defend You, our country”, Svitolina wrote.
Svitolina has been a leading figure when it comes to voicing opinions against Russian atrocities. The 27-year old previously put up tweets to show solidarity with her citizens. “I am proud to be Ukrainian. Glory to Ukraine. #IStandWithUkraine” are usual contents of Svitolina’s earlier tweets.
Svitolina definitely is not alone in this aspect. Sports stars from both Russia and Ukraine have come forward to voice their opinions regarding the crisis. Russian tennis stars Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev have echoed similar opinions, pleading for peace.
After his match at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Rublev wrote on a camera lens, “No War please.” Speaking to the press, Medvedev said, “We play in so many different countries. It’s just not easy to hear all this. I’m all for peace.” Ukrainian football stars Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ruslan Malinovskiy have publicly condemned Russia for their actions.
Svitolina is scheduled to play the Monterrey open starting tomorrow. She has entered the event as the No. 1 seed. We definitely hope she plays her best tennis which would help her contribute to her nation’s cause to the maximum.
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