Watch: Elina Svitolina shares glimpses of her reunion with grandmother in Odesa

Elina Svitolina recently traveled to her hometown of Odesa in Ukraine to meet her grandmother and subsequently shared glimpses of their reunion with her fans.

Svitolina, who became a mother last October, has residences in Monte Carlo and London with her husband and ATP player Gael Monfils. The Ukrainian was born in Odesa but soon shifted her training base to Kharkiv, one of the largest cities in the country. A few members of her family, including her grandmother Tamara, however, have continued to reside in Odesa.

In an interview with AFP last year, Svitolina expressed her earnest hopes of reuniting with her confined grandmother amidst Russia's invasion of Ukraine. She took to Instagram on Sunday to share a video of her reunion with her grandmother in Odesa via a Tiktok video.

"When in Odesa," wrote the 28-year-old on her Instagram post with multiple 'heart' emojis.

Svitolina has rallied relentlessly to gather support for the Ukrainian cause, hosting charity events and promoting words of peace and harmony at international forums like at the World Economic Summit in Davos last month.

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Elina Svitolina: "We must stick to banning Russian & Belarusian athletes"

Elina Svitolina won the bronze medal for Ukraine at the Tokyo Olympics

Earlier this week, Elina Svitolina called for an absolute ban on Russian and Belarusian players across all tennis tournaments. The WTA and ATP ruled on the termination of national representation for such players right after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Belarus' support of the invasion.

Players from the two allied countries have since competed under a neutral flag and are barred from international team competitions such as the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup. The All England Club also revoked their participation at Wimbledon last year.

Svitolina, however, has now raised questions about their privilege to lead unrestrained careers while their country's regimes continue to uproot Ukrainian lives.

"The Olympics are the biggest dream and ultimate privilege for athletes. They are the largest platform for inclusion and diversity in sports, capturing the attention of the world. With this in mind, we must stick to banning Russian and Belarusian athletes, sending a strong message worldwide," the former World No. 3 said in a post.

"We are united in the sanctions imposed against Russia and Belarus and that there are consequences for the heinous acts of their governments," she continued. "Their lives cannot continue as normal and the world, nor the russian or belarusian people can be ignorant of the atrocities they are committing in Ukraine."

Elina Svitolina's demands have been met with split opinions on social media, with some defending Russian and Belarusian players' right to pursue their careers regardless of the actions of their governments.