Elina Svitolina brings Ukraine’s tennis team to Texas for ‘home’ matches in the Billie Jean King Cup
FILE - Ukraine's Elina Svitolina reacts after winning a point against Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva during their third round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Feb. 13, 2021.(AP Photo/Hamish Blair, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Hamish Blair]
Elina Svitolina is a three-time Grand Slam semifinalist who’s been ranked as high as No. 3 in the world, so she would love to be able to represent Ukraine this weekend in its Billie Jean King Cup playoff matches against Austria in Texas. Svitolina is sidelined while recovering from ankle surgery — she hopes to compete at the Australian Open in January — but she still made the journey to the United States with her country’s team for what is considered a “home” contest, even if it needed to be moved out of Ukraine because of the war with Russia that began more than 2 1/2 years ago.
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