Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina said the plight of her homeland put her Australian Open semi-final loss Thursday into perspective, calling herself “a very, very lucky person”.
Svitolina suffered a 6-2, 6-3 defeat to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in Melbourne, the two players not shaking hands afterwards.
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Like other players from Ukraine, Svitolina does not shake hands with opponents from Russia or Moscow’s ally Belarus because of the war.
The 12th-seeded Svitolina felt she did not really do herself justice as she attempted to reach her first Grand Slam final, especially on her serve.
But she conceded that the top-ranked Sabalenka had been “on fire” and said that compared to people back home, she had no reason to be too down-hearted.
“People are really living horrible and terrifying lives in Ukraine, so I should not be allowed to really be sad because I’m a very, very lucky person,” the 31-year-old said.
Svitolina said she was glad to know that her run to the last four had brought some happiness to her compatriots.
And she said their support from afar in the war-torn country had inspired her.
“I have this amazing opportunity to play on centre court here, represent my country, to do it in a decent way, and to have the opportunity to use my words and just be there for my people,” she said.
“I feel like for the past weeks, they have been really carrying me through with great vibes, with great emotions, and for me, this is something that really motivates me.
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“Without any doubt, it’s something that when I wake up in the morning, I see of course terrifying news, but then I see people watching my matches.
“They write comments, and they are really... I think it’s like a big exchange of positive emotions.”
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