Justine Henin’s first week on the WTA Tour as Elina Svitolina’s coaching consultant has gone better than most would’ve anticipated.
The Ukrainian defeated second seed Garbine Muguruza in the second round at this week’s Dubai Tennis Championships. The triumph was Svitolina’s first win over a top-10 player since Lucie Safarova (No.6) at the Cincinnati Open last August. The 21-year-old has maintained her winning momentum to reach today’s semifinal showdown with Italy’s Sara Errani.
Her run in Dubai is a sharp contrast to the start of 2016. After losing in the first round in Auckland to Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber, Svitolina suffered a second round exit to world No.127 Naomi Osaka. The change of fortunes has been one welcome by the Svitolina camp. Now things seems to be getting better with the addition of former world No.1 Henin. The recruitment of Henin isn’t so much for the world No.21 physical development, but more for the mental side of her game .
“My coach focuses more on the technical. She’s more for the mental side,” Svitolina revealed in Dubai.
“Between them, they cover all the things I need”.
“Justine is sharing her experience from when she was a player, and of course my coach is looking from a different side. That’s why, for me, that’s so important.
“It’s just amazing she accepted.”
Only one woman has won the Dubai title on four occasions, that was Henin herself. The UAE tournament and Roland Garros was the only two tournaments where Henin won a quartet of titles during her illustrious career. Speaking about Henin’s run in Dubai, Svitolina told Sport 360 that she enjoyed having the Belgians’ experience in her camp.
“It’s amazing to have her experience and have her in my box and just being around.” She said.
Facing Errani in the semifinals, Svitolina now has a chance to reach the biggest tournament final of her career. If she is triumphant over the experienced Errani, the 21-year-old will play in her first WTA final since the last May’s Marrakech Open.
It is too early to tell how much of an impact Henin has had on the 21-year-old. This week could be coincidental or it could be a sign of greater things to come from the partnership.
