‘Very difficult day’ – Elina Svitolina breaks down in tears after emotional Wimbledon win
Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina broke down in tears after her Wimbledon victory on a day when 33 people died in her home country.
Svitolina thrashed China's Wang Xinyu 6-2 6-1 in just 55 minutes to progress to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon.
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During her on-court interview, she broke into tears after revealing the reason behind why she wore a black ribbon.
She said: "It was a good performance from my side today and you know, it's a very difficult day today for Ukrainian people…"
The Odesa-born ace then had to step away from the microphone as she fought back the tears.
The No.2 Court crowd sent their encouragement by giving her a rousing applause and cheering her on before she composed herself.
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"It was not easy to focus today on the match," she continued.
"Since the morning it was very difficult to read the news and just to go on the court it's extremely tough, so I'm happy I could play today and get a win."
Russian air strikes left a children's hospital in a state of debris in the Ukraine capital Kyiv. It's been confirmed that 33 people were killed by the early morning attack across the country.
Ohmatdyt Children's Hospital, the largest paediatrics facility in Ukraine, was seriously damaged after the assault while pictures showed children on IV drips being evacuated.
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It was also confirmed that a separate maternity unit in Kyiv had been partially destroyed by falling debris, killing four and injuring three.
May was the deadliest month for civilians in Ukraine in almost a year, reports read, with no end in sight over the conflict with Russia.
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Svitolina will face World No. 4 Elena Rybakina in their quarter-final match at Wimbledon on Wednesday.
Kasakh star Rybakina was given the victory on Centre Court after Anna Kalinskaya was forced off through injury while 6-3 3-0 down.
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