"We stopped trying because it was just impossible to convince them to change their minds" - Elina Svitolina on dwindling support for Ukrainian players

Elina Svitolina bemoans the indifference from the ATP and the WTA for her fellow Ukrainian players following Russia's invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.

In February, Russian forces invaded Ukraine in a conflict that's now approaching 300 days but shows no signs of abating. Apart from numerous casualties and widespread destruction, millions have been rendered homeless and forced to flee to neighbouring countries.

The ATP and WTA banned Russia from team competitions but didn't ban Russian and Belarusian athletes. That didn't go down well with Svitolina, as she and fellow Ukrainian players rallied in vain, but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

In an interaction with Reuters, the former WTA World No. 3 rued the lack of support from the ATP and the WTA despite 'multiple conversations'.

"In tennis, there's been nothing done towards these athletes representing these countries," said Svitolina, who added that she and her compatriots had "multiple conversations" with both the ATP and the WTA about the war. "In the end, we stopped trying because it was just impossible to convince them to change their minds."

With the war continuing into the harsh winter months, Svitolina is raising funds to supply Ukrainian hospitals with generators, reminding people that there's a war raging in her homeland.

"We're here to do everything to tell people, to introduce them (to) what is really happening in Ukraine, because a lot of people come to me and ask, 'Is there still a war?' And this is really painful to hear."

The fundraising effort has generated more than $1.8 million through an online donation platform. This is even as Moscow refused a Christmas ceasefire, calling their Ukraine invasion a 'special military operation'.

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"My main goal is to get into the Olympics and bring back a medal for Ukraine" - Elina Svitolina

Elina Svitolina hasn't been in action for almost a year

Elina Svitolina hasn't been in action since a second-round exit at the Miami Masters in March.

In October, she and her husband — fellow tennis player Gael Monfils — welcomed the couple's first child, daughter Skai.

Currently ranked outside the top 200, the 28-year-old wishes to represent Ukraine at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics and win a medal for her country.

"My main goal is to get into the Olympics and hopefully to bring back a medal for Ukraine."

Svitolina won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics last summer, losing to Marketa Vondrousova in the semifinals. The 28-year-old beat Elena Rybakina in the bronze medal match.