Ukraine's tennis star rejected $500k (CAD700k) Russian offer
Elina Svitolina, the Ukrainian tennis player, once received an offer to represent Russia. In an interview, she revealed the staggering amount of money the Russians were prepared to pay her to play for their country.
Elina Svitolina is one of Ukraine's top tennis players. Throughout her career, she has won 17 tournaments and claimed a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics. In 2018, she became the champion of the WTA Finals, and the following year, she reached the finals of these competitions.
Thanks to these successes, Svitolina has significantly contributed to popularizing women's tennis in Ukraine. Largely because of her influence, more Ukrainian women have taken an interest in this sport, and currently, there are five female tennis players from beyond Poland's eastern border in the top 100 of the WTA ranking.
The Russians offered Elina Svitolina a chance to play for their country
The story could have taken a different turn because in the past, Elina Svitolina received an offer to represent Russia. The 30-year-old gave an interview to the "Ukrayinska Pravda" website, where she stated that the Russians offered her a substantial amount of money to play for their country.
The proposal was to play under the Russian flag, but I didn't consider it. They promised $500,000 (CAD 700,000) a year. Other countries also made offers. They proposed programs that invested in my future and development in tennis but on the condition that I represent their national colours - said the Ukrainian tennis player.
She then noted that she never considered such an option. - It was a long time ago. For me, changing my country was never an option. When I started my career, I had all the conditions for development in Kharkiv - she emphasized.
Currently, Elina Svitolina ranks 23rd in the WTA rankings with a total of 1,942 points.
