Elina Svitolina isn't hiding that she is always extra-motivated when facing a Russian player as she told reporters in Melbourne that it is "incredibly hard" to wake up and hear about her friends dying on the front.
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On Monday, the Ukrainian tennis star ousted 75th-ranked Russian Veronika Kudermetova 6-4 6-1 to progress into the Australian Open quarterfinal.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the former world No. 3 has gone 7-0 in her matches against Russian rivals.
"I don't do anything different when I face a Russian. I just feel that the spirit is different," Svitolina said after beating Kudermetova.
"I put all my energy there. If I'm not gonna win I'm gonna almost die on the court. The associations I make with that country are very tough and painful in my heart. So of course, I have an extra motivation."
Svitolina: People sometimes forget that there's still the war
For the current world No. 27, the goal is clear - give your absolute whenever competing so she is also a fighter in some sense.
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I feel like sometimes people, they forget that theres still the war, that we still need help. Just for me, its very important to show the resilience, to show that Im here to fight no matter what," the 30-year-old said.
For nearly three years now, Ukrainian players haven't been shaking hands with players from either Russia or Belarus.
The same was the case after the current world No. 7 beat Kudermetova on Monday.
And there are no indications that it will soon end as Svitolina admits she gets heartbroken and devastated every time she hears that someone lost a life in Ukraine.
Waking up to the news that your friends have died on the front, killed by Russian soldiers, is something incredibly hard on my heart," she said.
Svitolina plays against Madison Keys for a place in the Australian Open semifinal.
