Elina Svitolina complains of online abuse from Russians in Moscow

Ukraine's Elina Svitolina has complained about receiving online abuse while playing last week’s Kremlin Cup in Moscow, according to local reports.

"It has never happened before the match,” she said. “Already after my first press conference, at the beginning of the tournament, I started to receive threatening messages."

The 21-year-old indicated that the messages were in reference to conflicts between neighboring Russia and Ukraine.

"It was a very tough tournament, and I don't think I will come back,” she said.

Svitolina said that some messages were about which hotel she was staying in, and because of the large quantity of messages she received, it was difficult for her publicity person to sort through them all.

She reached the semifinals of the event before falling to eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in three sets.