Elina Svitolina says her first round defeat at the Charleston Open has helped her identify areas of her game that she needs to work on over the coming weeks.
Svitolina, who has been ranked as high as No.3 in the world, played her first match in 12 months against Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva on Monday. In what was a marathon encounter that lasted almost three hours, the Ukrainian fell 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, to the world No.47. Clearly showing signs of rust due to her absence, she only managed to win 38% of her second service points and was broken seven times.
Despite her defeat, Svitolina believes there are plenty of positives to take from her first match played on the Tour as a mother. She gave birth to her first child Skai last October who is not with her at the tournament this week. Her daughter is at home with Svitolina’s partner Gael Monfils.
“It’s time to get back on court and kick some ass,” she told Tennis Channel in an interview after her loss. “I had goosebumps. It was a really, really sweet atmosphere out there. It was so nice to see many people cheering me on, push me through some tough moments, because it was not easy physically today.”
“In the end, I’m really happy with the way I played, today, and now I can see more clear what I need to improve to be better. I think I’m hitting the ball well. I just have to work more on my fitness. I think a few bits here and there are going to help me to keep the focus more consistently, to be there in the moment. I think a few things here and there are going to make a difference for me.”
The 28-year-old returns to the sport with her new coach Raemon Sluiter who is the former mentor of Kiki Baertens. Her goal is to return to the top of her game over the coming months. Svitolina has won 16 Tour titles during her career, including the 2018 WTA Finals. She has also registered 35 wins over top 10 players.
During her time in America, Svitolina also took part in the Tennis Plays for Peace fundraiser which is an initiative to support those affected by the Ukrainian war. The tennis star also serves as an ambassador for the United 24 foundation which was set up by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to collect financial donations for Ukraine in the wake of the war.
“It was really tough trip for me, but at the same time, I was the happiest person to see my grandmother, to see the other half of my family as well,” Svitolina said of her recent trip to her native country. “It’s really tough to see my homeland in this state … constantly. I went to some destroyed cities, completely destroyed from the missiles, so this was a really heartbreaking moment for me, so that’s why I try to do my best for Ukrainian people, for Ukraine, for rebuilding Ukraine, because it’s really needed now these days. We try to make everything possible to raise money, to raise awareness that the war is still there … We’re here, we’re Ukrainian, so we try to do everything that’s in our power.”
Svitolina will now return to Europe where she will play in a duo of ITF events. Next week she will play at the ITF W60 Chiasso Open in Switzerland followed by a 100K ITF event in Oeiras, Portugal.
