Elina Svitolina is the highest-ranked Ukrainian woman in history and over the years she has developed a reputation as a leader of a movement in women’s tennis that is growing rapidly in her country. She spends a lot of time with the media and is keen on helping young girls find success in the sport just like she has.
Svitolina has taken her patriotism to the next level of late. It was revealed this week that she gave a large amount of financial sport to 16-year-old compatriot Dasha Lopatetskaya to help the family pay for a knee surgery.
Lopatetskaya, a promising player who is currently ranked 231 and has won 3 ITF titles this season, needed emergency surgery to her meniscus after suffering an injury in Rome. Lopatetskaya's family was looking everywhere for help with the surgery, and it isn't known why the Ukrainian Federation couldn't lend a hand. Luckily, Svitolina was there to step up.
We first heard of the news on Twitter:
More about the surgery, and Svitolina’s donation can be found here: