“It should not depend on the ranking really” – Svitolina on the WTA stance towards Ukrainian players

Svitolina was defeated in the semi-finals at Wimbledon by Czech Marketa Vondrousova – the most high-profile result in singles by a Ukrainian player since the war broke out

Elina Svitolina at Wimbledon 2023 Image Credit: Chryslene Caillaud / Panoramic

Haresh Ramchandani

July 14, 2023

Wimbledon semi-finalist Elina Svitolina believes that the WTA stance towards players from her country should not be based on their rankings or how well they have been performing at the major tournaments.

Svitolina was defeated in the semi-finals at the All England Club on Thursday by Czech Marketa Vondrousova – the most high-profile singles result by a Ukrainian player since the war broke out.

Elina Svitolina, Wimbledon, 2023 — Elina Svitolina in action at Wimbledon 2023 Action Plus / Panoramic

The former world No 3, who will move back into the world’s top 30 after returning to the tour in March following the birth of her daughter, was asked following her loss on Thursday if she felt that the WTA stance might become more sympathetic now that Ukrainian players are performing better.

“I don’t know if this should be connected, like how we play should connect to how much help we receive from WTA. This not should be the case. We were, four, five girls that are top 100, maybe six or seven girls that are top 200. I don’t think it should really be depending on the ranking,” Svitolina said.

“As I mentioned many times already, we had to relocate our families. We are paying a lot, doing donations. We are all the time trying to help our country. Why should (it) depend if we are higher profile or not? If we are higher profile, then it should be other way around: we’re getting a bit more paid. Yeah, it should not depend on the ranking really.”

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