Elina Svitolina has made her first visit back to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began last February, visiting several places during her trip. She is an ambassador for United 24 and has held many fundraising events in support of her own country.
She spoke candidly during an interview with AP on a number of topics including her likely return to the tour and the possibility of Russia not taking part in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. An April return is currently slated for her, six months after she gave birth to baby Skai.
It is also the longest period of time she has been away from daughter, which made the visit to a maternity hospital in Kyiv all the more meaningful for her given she was pregnant at the time of the invasion. “Of course, I want to be with her, but I have a bigger mission to do for free Ukrainian people,” said Svitolina.
In her visit to the capital she met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy while she was also fortunate enough to be reunited with her grandmother Tamara in hometown Odesa, sharing their meeting with a sweet video posted on TikTok and Instagram.
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