Ukrainian Elina Svitolina breaks down in tears at Wimbledon over missile strikes on Kyiv

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Elina Svitolina broke down in tears after winning her fourth round match at Wimbledon after at least 20 Ukrainians were killed following a major Russian missile attack on Kyiv.

Many more were left injured on Monday, officials said, with one missile striking a large children’s hospital in the capital Kyiv.

Svitolina played with a black ribbon on her white top throughout the match on No.2 Court, with the 21st seed triumphing over Xinyu Wang 6-2, 6-1 after a fine performance.

And as emergency crews search the rubble for casualties back in Ukraine after the latest Russian barrage, Svitolina opened up on court about the difficulty in playing under the circumstances.

”For sure it was a good performance from my side,” Svitolina said, acknowledging her team courtside, including her partner and fellow player Gael Monfils. “It's a very difficult day today for Ukrainian people.”

A long pause then followed with the Wimbledon crowd applauding Svitolina before many loudly cheered the former semi-finalist.

“It was not easy to focus on the match. Since the morning, it’s very difficult to read the news, just to go on the court... I'm happy I could play today and get a win.”

Svitolina then tapped her chest in appreciation for her reception before departing No.2 Court.

“Yeah, it's incredibly sad day today for all Ukrainians,” Svitolina said. “It was really difficult for me to really be here in a way and do anything. I just wanted to be in my room, just be there with my emotions, with everything.

“You know, when you have these sad days where you don't want to do anything, it was this kind of day for me. It's difficult really to explain, I guess, because of course for us Ukrainians, it's very close to our heart and very sensitive topic, very sensitive emotions that we feel every single day.

“But today was one of the days where it was even more difficult because the missile landed on the hospital, the kids' hospital. Straightaway you see the images and everything that happened there. So many kids lost their lives. Yeah, it's extremely tough day today.”

Svitolina had shared a video on her social media earlier on Monday, adding crying face emojis with the caption: “Kyiv today”.

The world No.21 will play Russia-born Kazakh Elena Rybakina, the current favourite, in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.