Interview
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Impact of the war in Ukraine, banishment of Russian and Belarusian players from Wimbledon… “Liberation” met the Ukrainian tennis player on Wednesday May 11 in Paris. Ten days before Roland-Garros, the world number 27 clearly displays her political position.
Elina Svitolina returns with a determined step to the dressing room of the Accor Arena in Bercy, her face marked by tension and fatigue. The young woman, her hair pulled back, in sneakers and an electric blue suit jacket – reminiscent of the colors of Ukraine – sketches a brief smile before quickly settling down on the sofa. She has no time to waste. Since his arrival in Paris, Tuesday May 10 in the evening, the media marathon has begun. We meet her on the sidelines of Global Sports Week, an annual international meeting on the economics of sport, where she participated in a conference on the mental health of athletes.
It must be said that the Ukrainian tennis player is well placed to speak on the subject. In addition to her exemplary sporting career (27th in the world, ex-3rd in the world and bronze medalist at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games), she has been, since February 24, the citizen of a country which is being destroyed by Russian forces. However, the star player did not hesitate to speak out in the media to bear witness to the atrocities of the war and to call for the banishment of Russian and Belarusian players from tennis competitions. Like his compatriot Marta Kostyuk, 19 years old and 59th in the world, who recently estimated with Eurosport that despite the possible …