In late October 2026, the first shift of the international WhiteBIT x Svitolina Foundation Llorca Pons Tennis Residency program kicked off in Spain, marking a long-term initiative to develop a new generation of Ukrainian tennis. The first cohort of ten talented tennis players began their professional training on October 26, serving as the practical launch of a project uniting the WhiteBIT crypto exchange, the Elina Svitolina Foundation, and the Tryzub NGO. This was reported by Sport RBC.UA citing the WhiteBIT press service.
Free Training and Four Cohorts Throughout the Year
The program is designed for female athletes aged 12 to 16 who already demonstrate high results at the national level and possess the potential to transition to professional tennis. Participation in the residency is entirely free: all expenses are covered by Volodymyr Nosov, founder and president of the W Group fintech ecosystem, which includes the WhiteBIT crypto exchange. Four participant cohorts are planned throughout 2026, allowing a broader circle of young talents from various regions of Ukraine to be reached. The first group includes athletes from Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Volyn, Odesa, and Lviv oblasts.
Coaching Staff and Elina Svitolina's Role
Professional training for the participants will be led by María José Llorca Pons, a former professional tennis player with over 30 years of coaching experience who represented Spain at Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympic Games, and has worked as a mentor with players in the WTA top 30 rankings. She is directly responsible for the training process and the participants' development throughout the program. Elina Svitolina is also taking a personal part in the project as a former world No. 3 according to the WTA rankings, bronze medalist of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and global ambassador for WhiteBIT. She will visit training sessions, communicate with participants, and share her experience of competing at the highest international level.
Context: War and the Need for Stable Conditions
The full-scale war has significantly limited the professional training opportunities for young Ukrainian athletes: constant shelling, air raid alerts, and power outages make regular training and preparation for international competitions extremely difficult. Therefore, at the initiative of Volodymyr Nosov, WhiteBIT has taken on the organization of training for young tennis players outside Ukraine so they can focus on athletic development in stable conditions and gain access to international coaching expertise.
Goals and Expectations from the Program
«We want talented Ukrainian children to have access to professional training regardless of their families' financial capabilities or the circumstances in which they find themselves», — stated Volodymyr Nosov. He added that the initiative's goal is to systematically support young athletes so that in the future Ukraine will have a constellation of tennis players capable of representing the state in prestigious world tournaments. Elina Svitolina, in turn, emphasized that in a difficult time for the country, it is important to give young athletes the opportunity to focus on tennis, and their parents peace of mind regarding their children. The program provides a comprehensive approach: working on technique and tactics, physical fitness, endurance, and other components necessary for the transition from the junior to the professional level.
