I’M Leaving and i promise never to return: Elena Rybakina announce after she…

Svitolina, 29, broke down in tears during an on-court interview after she beat China’s Wang Xinyu to reach the quarter-finals.

She played the match wearing a black ribbon on her white outfit, knowing there had been mass casualties from the assault on her homeland.

“Today was one of the most difficult matches in my life,” said Svitolina.

“Mentally it was beyond anything I have ever faced but fails in comparison to what my people at home are going through.”

The 2023 Wimbledon semi-finalist is one of Ukraine’s most prominent athletes and has spoken regularly about the impact of the war on her country.

After her 6-2 6-1 win, Svitolina said: “It was a good performance from my side and it’s a very difficult day today for Ukrainian people.”

Svitolina trailed off as she began to cry, with the court two crowd offering sympathetic support.

“It was not easy to focus on the match,” Svitolina added.

“It was very difficult to read the news and just to go on the court it’s extremely tough.

“I’m happy I could play today and get a win.”

Svitolina will face 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals.

Svitolina, a mother of one, said she did want to leave her room after seeing the news when she woke up.

At least 36 people were confirmed dead and 140 were injured as a result of Russian missile attacks across Ukraine on Monday.

The rare daytime attack killed at least 19 people in Kyiv, including two at the Ohmatdyt Children’s Hospital – Ukraine’s biggest paediatrics facility – which sustained major damage.

Svitolina, along with former Ukraine footballer Andriy Shevchenko and heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk, is an ambassador for United24, a fundraising organisation sent up by President Volodymyr Zelensky.