Elina Svitolina has insisted she is ‘ready to play’ in the Fed Cup next season in order to qualify for the upcoming Olympic Games following a disagreement with the Ukrainian Tennis Federation.
Under rules set out by the International Tennis Federation, the 25-year-old is required to play in at least one more tie to be eligible for the Games or she will have to go through an appeal. Since 2016, Svitolina has only participated in two Fed Cup clashes. She was due to play in Ukraine’s clash with Poland earlier this year, but withdrew shortly before in what was claimed to be an argument over pay.
“We agreed with all the players on all conditions, both financial and organizational, last year (2018). Everything changed when the agent of Elina Stefan Gurov called the team manager Olga Savchuk and called for new conditions that were 2.5 times higher than agreed.” The president of the Ukrainian Tennis Federation (FTU) Yevgeny Zukin told btu.org.ua.
“My personal opinion at the moment is that their agent is behind this, is opposed to playing for the Ukrainian national team. Playing for the country should be, in my opinion, an honour for every athlete.” He added.
Responding to those comments in a recent interview, Svitolina said ‘it was not clear to her’ as to why she came under so much criticism from her national federation. Stating that she is happy to explore all of her options to qualify for the Olympics. Svitolina is one of two players from her country ranked inside the top 50 on the women’s tour. She is the only Ukrainian woman in history to reach a grand slam semi-final.
“Yes, I plan to play in Tokyo and the situation is such that I need to play another (Fed Cup) match for the national team. But let’s just say that if the FTU does not need my help, then there are some other opportunities for qualifying for the Olympic tournament, since I am still a top player in women’s tennis.” She said.
“I am always ready to play and play for the national team when I have physical capabilities, but it is difficult to do when there are health problems. There are a lot of matches in the subgroup, and to come and sit on the bench, I do not think this is right.’
“For many years I played for Ukraine, so frankly, it was not clear to me why they attacked me so much, and from the Federation’s side, I don’t think it’s normal to attack a top player.”
The next opportunity for Svitolina to play in the Fed Cup will be in February at the Tallink Tennis Center in Estonia. Ukraine is one of 13 teams playing in Group 1 of the Europe/Africa Zone. Whilst not fully committing to the event, she said she will ‘try to play there.’
Svitolina made her Olympic debut back in 2016 where she stunned Serena Williams. She missed out on a medal after losing in the quarter-finals to Petra Kvitova.There is yet to be a player from her country to win a medal in tennis at the four-year sporting extravaganza.
