Elina Svitolina, a quarterfinalist in the Australian Open, is currently embroiled in a serious dispute with the Ukrainian Tennis Federation. She has been removed from her country’s Federation Cup team. Ranked seventh in the world, Svitolina cites an injury as the reason for her inability to compete in the upcoming Federation Cup match in Poland. However, the federation claims that both she and Dayana Yastremska were initially scheduled to play but were later withdrawn due to unreasonable demands from their managers.
The federation released statements emphasizing that representing the nation in any competition should be a matter of pride and honor for the players. Svitolina vented her frustration on social media platforms, clarifying that financial negotiations were not the root of the issue.
Svitolina highlighted that her neck and shoulder problems had affected her performance, leading to her defeat in the Australian Open quarterfinals and allowing Naomi Osaka to emerge as the champion.
In the absence of Yastremska and Svitolina, the Fed team will substitute players such as Lesia Tsurenko, Nadiya Kichenok, Kateryna Kozlova, and Marta Kostyuk. Svitolina is visibly frustrated by the circumstances, claiming that the situation leading to her withdrawal was not accurately represented.
