June 29 (Reuters) – Tennis world number one Iga Swiatek of Poland has joined her colleagues Agnieszka Radwanska, Elina Svitolina, Sergiy Stakhovsky and Martyn Pawelski in a special one-day event to raise funds for those affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The “Iga Swiatek & Friends for Ukraine” event, scheduled for July 23 in the Polish city of Krakow, will feature a mixed doubles match and a singles set between Swiatek and her compatriot Radwanska. Both games will be refereed by the Ukrainian Svitolina.
“For months I have been working with my team on a charity initiative to support those suffering from the war in Ukraine,” French Open champion Swiatek said in a statement on social media on Wednesday.
“There will also be a special guest representing Ukraine: former (Ukrainian) footballer Andriy Shevchenko.”
Ukraine was invaded by Russia in February in what Moscow calls its “special military operation.”
Swiatek, riding a 36-match winning streak, has been vocal in his support for Ukraine and has sported a blue and yellow bow on his hat in recent months.
The 21-year-old beat Jana Fett 6-0 6-3 in her Wimbledon first-round match on Tuesday and will face Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove on Thursday.
(Reporting by Dhruv Munjal in Bengaluru; Editing in Spanish by Javier Leira)
