Ukraine's Elina Svitolina shares emotional reaction as Russia's missile and drone attack on Kyiv results in mass killing

Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina, recently had an emotional reaction to the devastating attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, on July 31, by the Russian forces. Svitolina is currently playing in the 2025 National Bank Open Presented by Rogers and has defeated Russian Kamilla Rakhimova in her opening match.

The Odesa, Ukraine, native led the match 5-1 in the first set, but later Rakhimova equalled the score at 5-5. Svitolina eventually steered the game in her favour and won 7-5, 6-2. She competed at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships and wrapped up her journey with a third-round loss to the Belgian player, Elise Mertens.

Through her Instagram story, the winner of 18 WTA Tour singles titles shared her thoughts on United24 Media's Instagram post, which featured Russia's attack on Kyiv, the capital and most populous city of Ukraine.

As per United24 Media, the attack killed six people and 52 were injured, including nine minors. Additionally, 30 people were hospitalised with the officials announcing that the number of casualties could go higher. She added her heartfelt thoughts sans words,

"😞😞😞"

Screenshot of Elina Svitolina's Instagram story | Source: IG/elisvitolina

After winning her second round at the 2025 Australian Open, Svitolina became the first Ukrainian player to win 100 Grand Slam matches. In the quarterfinals, she lost to Madison Keys. In her third-round match at the 2025 Canadian Open, she will lock horns with the current World No. 31 Anna Kalinskaya. As the 10th seed, she began the tournament with a bye in the first round.

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Elina Svitolina reflects on her training and preparations for tournaments

Elina Svitolina at Day One: The Championships - Wimbledon 2025 - Source: Getty

During her interview with Tennis Channel on July 1, with tennis legend Martina Navratilova, Svitolina reflected on her training and preparation for her upcoming tournaments. The Ukrainian star also shared that she wishes to enter the top 10 despite her injuries.

"Little bit of changes here and there. I have more years behind me than in front of me so I try to do different things a little bit to approach the tournaments to approach my routine a little bit different to gain 1% and in my performance," she shared. (4:02 onwards)

She continued,

"Being injured for the past two years little bit here and there really forced me to find the new ways to find this edge where I can come back to top 10, where I can really challenge these top players."

Svitolina has been endorsed and sponsored by prominent brands, including Ellesse, Lacoste, Nike and Adidas.