Ukrainian Elina Svitolina’s Wimbledon win goes beyond the tennis court

There’s almost always an upset at Wimbledon that draws widespread attention in the sports world. But rarely has an upset resonated so far beyond sports as the one scored on Tuesday by Ukrainian Elina Svitolina.

“I’m just happy I could bring little happiness to the people of Ukraine,” a buoyant Ms. Svitolina said after the match. “There were many videos also on the Internet where the kids are watching on their phones. This really makes my heart melt seeing this.” She hasn’t been shy about disagreeing with Wimbledon’s decision to lift its ban on players from Belarus and Russia. The championships were the only Grand Slam to bar players from both countries last year, but organizers changed course after facing sanctions from the men’s ATP and women’s WTA tours.

On Tuesday, the WTA issued a statement acknowledging the Ukrainians’ position. “Due to the ongoing reprehensible war, the WTA respects the position of the Ukrainian athletes in foregoing the tradition of shaking opponents’ hands at the end of a match, as this is a personal decision,” the statement said.

Ms. Swiatek, 22, has been among the few tennis players to openly support Ukraine. She held a fundraising event in her native Poland for Ukrainian charities last year and she wears a small blue and yellow ribbon in her cap during every match in honour of Ukraine’s national colours.

Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)

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