Elina Svitolina, the Ukrainian tennis player, has been personally invited by Harry Styles to see the man himself on tour after she was left unable to attend the concert.
Svitolina wasn't able to attend Styles’ show in Vienna on Saturday night due to her Wimbledon commitments, which saw her play Belarusian player Victoria Azarenka in the fourth round on Sunday.
Svitolina had originally planned to travel to Vienna to watch Styles perform as part of his Love On Tour but had to give away her tickets after progressing further at Wimbledon than she might have thought at the beginning of the tournament.
Styles caught wind of Svitolina’s story and left a comment on her Instagram page, saying: ‘Congratulations! We have four shows to go, you’re welcome at any of them. Good luck with the rest of the tournament.’
Svitolina had never beaten Azarenka before Sunday, but managed to turning the contest on its head by battling back from a set and a break down.
Following the match, the two players failed to shake hands, which caused a stir given the tensions between Ukraine and Belarus, with the latter country a key ally of Russia. Svitolina has not shaken hands with Russians or Belarusians after matches since the war in Ukraine started.
Svitolina returned to playing tennis three months ago after giving birth to daughter Skai in October.
Naomi May is a freelance writer and editor with an emphasis on popular culture, lifestyle and politics. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard as its Fashion and Beauty Writer, working across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Acting News Editor at ELLE UK and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others.
