Svitolina received the Billie Jean King Cup award and donated the prize money to charity
26 июня 05:15
Ukraine’s top-ranked tennis player Elina Svitolina has won the international Gainbridge Heart Award, which is presented as part of the Billie Jean King Cup. This was reported on the Cup’s website, «Коммерсант Украинский» reports
The Ukrainian decided to donate $3,000 of the prize money to her own charity Svitolina Foundation, which supports talented young tennis players from Ukraine.
«I am honored to receive the Heart Award. Thank you to everyone who voted for me. This year it was especially important to play for Ukraine. Representing my country in such a difficult time is a great motivation. I decided to donate the $3,000 prize money to the Svitolina Foundation, which supports young talent. Thank you for the recognition — it really means a lot to me,» commented Svitolina.
The Billie Jean King Gainbridge Heart Award is awarded annually to tennis players who demonstrate a special commitment to their country during matches of the prestigious team tournament.
This year, Svitolina received 33% of the vote, ahead of American Bernarda Peru (27%), British Sonia Kartal (20%), Canadian Victoria Mboko (13%) and Japanese representative Ena Shibahara (7%).
Elina became the third Ukrainian woman to win this award. Before her, the winners were Kateryna Bondarenko in 2016 and Angelina Kalinina in 2023.
