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Svitolina said directly what she thought about the Russians. A few words of truth Tennis

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Elina Svitolina (27th WTA) is already in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open – for the first time in six years. For the Ukrainian, Monday's fourth-round match with Weronika Kudiermetova (75th WTA) certainly had a special meaning. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the 30-year-old has openly opposed the participation of competitors from Russia. As a sign of protest, he doesn't shake their hands after the matches. It was like that this time too.

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This is what Svitolina did after the match against the Russian. Then she turned to her compatriots. “So that they wake up and hear…”

Svitolina won 6-4, 6-1 in an hour and 20 minutes. Kudermetova didn't even wait for her rival's handshake. She said goodbye to the judge and left the court. The winner grabbed a marker and in a unique way emphasized how important this meeting was for her. She wrote on the camera: “Spirit of Ukraine.”

It was her seventh clash with her rival from Russia since the beginning of the invasion. She emerged victorious each time, as noted by journalist Jose Morgado.

There were plenty of questions about feelings about playing against tennis players from the aggressor's country during the post-match press conference. – Since the outbreak of the war, I have played many times with Russian players, so it was nothing new for me. I was definitely very motivated to win today. So that the people of Ukraine wake up and hear good news from the court. I'm glad it happened, she said.

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Svitolina suddenly started talking about Russia. “Terrible feeling”

One of the journalists also asked whether he prepared for these meetings in any special way. – I do everything the same as always, but the spirit is different. I put all my energy into what I do. I could… almost die on the court, but I would never let myself be defeated that easily. This fighting spirit allows me to survive, she explained.

Svitolina also commented on the lack of a handshake. As she explained, this attitude stems from her personal experiences. – My experiences with this country are very painful and difficult. These are terrible feelings. I don't wish anyone to ever experience this, to wake up in the morning and find out that your friend died on the front line, killed by a Russian soldier. This is something that really weighs heavily on my heart, she said.

In the quarterfinals, Elina Svitolina's opponent will be Madison Keys (14th WTA). In the fourth round, the American unexpectedly defeated Yelena Rybakina (7th WTA) from Kazakhstan 6:3, 1:6, 6:3. The match is scheduled for Wednesday, January 22 at 1:30 a.m. Polish time.



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