The Story Behind 'The First Racket'
Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina and renowned writer Serhiy Zhadan have teamed up to create a children’s and young adult book titled The First Racket, scheduled for publication on October 15, 2026, by the publisher Ranok. The narrative follows two schoolchildren, Senya and Alina, each with distinct dreams and aspirations.
The main characters include:
- Senya, who aspires to become a rock star and leads a band that currently lacks both a name and songs.
- Alina, who longs to return to her hometown of Kharkiv and pursue her passion for tennis, despite currently studying at a school in Kyiv.
Illustrations for the book have been crafted by artist Olga Yakymenko.
About the Creators and Their Accomplishments
Serhiy Zhadan is a celebrated Ukrainian author, translator, public activist, and musician. His body of work includes numerous novels and poetry collections. Zhadan has been honored with the Jerzy Giedroyc Prize for strengthening Ukrainian-Polish cultural relations, the German Hannah Arendt Prize for political thought, and was ranked second among cultural figures of the year by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. In 2025, he also received the Austrian State Prize for European Literature.
Elina Svitolina, born on September 12, 1994, in Odesa, reached a career-high ranking as the world’s No. 3 female tennis player on the WTA tour in 2017, 2018, and 2019. She earned a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics and won the prestigious WTA Finals in 2018. As Ukraine’s most accomplished tennis player to date, Svitolina also established the charitable Svitolina Foundation.
This book tells the story of Ukrainian schoolchildren—young people growing up, searching for themselves, seeking motivation and ways to overcome challenges, ultimately achieving success.
Serhiy Zhadan and Elina Svitolina
The authors hope that this book will inspire young readers to pursue their dreams and face difficulties with courage.
The collaboration between Svitolina and Zhadan offers youth an engaging blend of imagination and relatable experiences. The First Racket is poised to become a meaningful addition to Ukrainian children’s literature by fostering positive life values among the younger generation. Given the current hardships faced by many Ukrainian families—including displacement caused by conflict—projects like this are especially vital as sources of encouragement and hope for children and teenagers across the country.