Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina shares emotional message while praising Iga Swiatek ahead of Indian Wells showdown

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina recently spoke about something that still weighs heavily on her mind. While preparing for her quarterfinal match at the BNP Paribas Open in California, Svitolina said she feels the world is slowly forgetting about the war in Ukraine. The 31 year old made the comments during a post match press conference at Indian Wells, just before facing Polish star Iga Swiatek on March 12, 2026.

Svitolina reached the last eight of the tournament after her fourth round match ended early. Her opponent Katerina Siniakova had to retire because of a right hip injury. While speaking to reporters afterward, Svitolina opened up about the situation back home. She explained that the war between Ukraine and Russia is still affecting her daily life, even if it is no longer in the global spotlight.

Elina Svitolina thanks Iga Swiatek for supporting Ukraine as they prepare for Indian Wells quarterfinal

During the press conference, Svitolina said the war still feels very real to her because her loved ones are living through it every day.

“Yeah, I mean, for sure. I feel this way. I’m still very much in it because I have my family there, my friends are there. I go back quite often there as well,” Svitolina said.

She then explained why she believes global attention has moved on.

“But I think because of the other wars around the world, I think it’s not the headlines anymore for a long time,” she added.

Even while talking about the difficult situation, Svitolina made sure to recognize the people who stood by Ukraine from the start. One of the names she mentioned was Iga Swiatek.

“She was one of the first ones actually who really supported Ukraine. She was wearing the ribbon for a long time, talking about it many times,” Svitolina said.

Swiatek showed that support by wearing a yellow and blue ribbon during matches in 2022 and 2023. The colors represent the Ukrainian flag. Her gesture became a strong symbol during tournaments on the WTA Tour.

Svitolina also remembered a charity event held in July 2022 in Krakow, Poland. The exhibition match involved several players and helped raise funds for young people affected by the war.

“You know, we did the match for Ukraine. They raised lots of money for the cause. For me, she always been and always will be the player who did the most,” Svitolina said.

On the court, Swiatek currently leads their head to head record 4–1. Their most recent meeting came at the 2025 French Open, where Swiatek won 6–1, 7–5 in the quarterfinals.

Svitolina’s only win over the Polish star came earlier at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships quarterfinals.

The winner of Thursday’s match in Indian Wells will move into the semifinals, where they will face either Elena Rybakina or Jessica Pegula.