"Now, my body can't handle it anymore and I need to rest" - Ukraine's Elina Svitolina announces short break from tennis

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has announced she will be taking a short break from the sport after overexerting herself in recent months.

Svitolina played a string of tournaments in the midst of Russia's invasion of her nation. The 27-year-old played through physical and emotional pain on most occasions so that she could provide solidarity and hope to her people in some shape and form.

Taking to social media, the Ukrainian highlighted how the past couple of months have been extraordinarily demanding on all fronts for her. Svitolina also mentioned that her back issues were a hindrance ahead of several tournaments, possibly contributing to her poor results.

"It's been an extremely difficult couple of months for me, not only mentally but also physically. For a quite long time I've been struggling with my back," Elina Svitolina wrote. "The pain didn't let me prepare for the tournaments at my best."

The former World No. 3 said that no amount of physical pain matched the emotional turmoil she suffered as she watched Russian forces ravage her country. She stressed that her countrymen's bravery gave her an immense shot in the arm and pushed her to keep playing through the pain.

"Meanwhile, observing with unbearable pain in my heart what is happening in my homeland Ukraine and with how much bravery and courage our Ukrainian people are defending our country, this gave me a huge push to continue and fight on court," she added.

But Svitolina admitted that her body can no longer take the load, due to which she intends to skip the Fed Cup and a few more tournaments.

"Now, my body can't handle it anymore and I need to rest. Therefore, I'm sad to announce that I will be missing Fed Cup and few of my favorite tournaments in Europe," she added. "But I'm sure, I will see you around soon! Thank you all for your support in this challenging period."

Elina Svitolina will want to get her season back on track when she returns

Elina Svitolina at the 2022 Miami Open

Elina Svitolina has had a tough start to the 2022 season, losing seven of the 12 matches she's played. The Ukrainian has failed to string together more than two wins in a row this year despite playing in a whopping eight tournaments in under three months.

Understandably, it is difficult for the Ukrainian to focus on tennis when her country is being ravaged by war. This short break could be beneficial for Svitolina in her quest to overcome her physical and mental issues.

At her best, the Ukrainian is a force to be reckoned with on the WTA tour and fans will hope to see her in full flow when she returns to action.