The facility, which she co-founded with former player Sergiy Stakhovsky, suffered structural impacts from a blast wave during the capital’s latest offensive.
The Impact on SVITO Padel Club in Kyiv
Opened in the spring of 2026, the venue was developed as a collaborative project between Svitolina and former World No. 31 Sergiy Stakhovsky to promote the sport in Ukraine.
Club management released an official statement confirming that no individuals were harmed in the incident. “SVITO was damaged by the blast wave as a result of the overnight attack,” the club said via social media, adding that their team was already working to assess and repair the damage. Alongside the sports venue, preliminary local reports indicated that at least 14 apartment buildings, a dormitory, a school, a clinic, and other commercial structures across Kyiv were also impacted by the offensive.
Elina Svitolina’s Appeal for International Support
Following the strike, Elina Svitolina took to Instagram to share the news and address the broader toll the war has taken on the Ukrainian athletic community. Furthermore, she noted that approximately 942 sports facilities across the country have been damaged or completely destroyed.
“As of today, 776 Ukrainian athletes and sports officials have been killed as a result of Russian aggression. 942 sports facilities across Ukraine have been damaged or completely destroyed. Today, my club, SVITO PADEL, became one of them,” Svitolina wrote in her social media post.
The top-10 WTA player issued a direct call to international partners and sports federations, urging concrete actions to help protect Ukrainian athletes and provide them with fair training conditions. Svitolina emphasized that the younger generation of Ukrainian competitors currently lacks equal opportunities to prepare for international competitions compared to peers from other nations.
Context on Tour and Recent Competition
The incident occurred while Svitolina was competing at the 2026 US Open in New York. Seeded ninth in the tournament, she advanced through the early rounds by defeating Solana Sierra and Maya Joint before exiting in the third round against Anna Kalinskaya with a score of 3-6, 6-2, 3-6. Despite the defeat, Svitolina remains well-positioned at No. 6 in the WTA Race rankings as she prepares to shift her focus toward the upcoming Asian swing and qualification for the season-ending Tour Finals.
Ukrainian tennis players on both the ATP and WTA tours have consistently used their platforms to speak out about the war. Competitors such as Marta Kostyuk and Oleksandra Oliynykova have regularly addressed the emotional strain of competing internationally while monitoring ongoing strikes at home. These players have also maintained a visible stance on the tour by declining post-match handshakes with Russian and Belarusian competitors.
Next Steps and Operations
Management for SVITO Padel Club stated that operations will resume once repairs are fully completed, and staff will coordinate directly with patrons regarding existing bookings. Svitolina is expected to return to court action in the coming weeks for the Asian tour legs.
Keep reading
