PARIS – Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina announced on Sunday that she will donate all proceeds from her upcoming tournament to support the army and humanitarian action in her country, a target of an armed invasion launched by Russian troops on Thursday.

“I pledge to redistribute my wallets from my future tournaments to support military and humanitarian needs and to help them defend you, our country,” Svitolina wrote in his account. Twitter in a “letter to (his) homeland”.

“Right now I am away from you, away from my loved ones, away from my people, but my heart is completely full with you,” he wrote. “My people, I’m afraid of you every day. I am devastated, my eyes are crying, my heart is constantly bleeding. But I am also so proud to see our people, our mothers, our fathers, our brothers, our sisters, our children who are so brave and strong to defend us. They are heroes. »

“You are in all my thoughts and prayers. You are with me all the time. “I am Ukraine, we are Ukraine”, concludes the player, 15th in the world, signing “Elina Svitolina, a proud Ukrainian”.

Svitolina, the wife of French tennis player Gaël Monfils, posted a message on her account on Thursday, the first day of the Russian invasion. Twitterexpressing his frustration and asking “please help us to end this war”.

Many other athletes around the world have also multiplied messages of solidarity with Ukraine since Thursday, with international sports players reacting by canceling or canceling matches scheduled in Russia, especially the Champions League final at the Stade de France in the region. of Paris. of St. Petersburg.