Elina Svitolina says she will keep her focus throughout the French Open as her husband, Gael Monfils, plays in Paris for the last time in his career.
Svitolina, who is seeded seventh in the women’s draw, enters the Grand Slam on a six-match winning streak after claiming the Italian Open title. In Rome, the Ukrainian produced a trio of high-profile wins over Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff. A run that has elevated the expectation of her performing well in the clay court major.
Svitolina has reached the quarter-finals of the French Open five times in her career, with two of those runs coming over the past three years. However, she is staying grounded about her chances in this year’s edition.
“It’s all about just trying to focus on my game, on my performance, not to go too far with the thoughts about if I can win the title or not,” the world No.7 told reporters on Saturday.
“There’s still lots of matches to win to get that title, and you need to be fit, you need to be mentally ready.
“There is still a lot of work ahead. So for me, it’s just important to focus on the first round, one match at a time, and be ready for anything that comes my way.”
The 31-year-old doesn’t want to put too much pressure on herself as she aims to reach her first Grand Slam final. On the Tour, she has won 20 WTA events, including the 2018 year-end finals and five WTA 1000’s, as well as an Olympic bronze medal.
It is possible that Svitolina will end her career without a major title to her name. However, she is at peace with this should it occur.
“It’s okay if I don’t win a slam,” she states.
“It’s also fine, in a way, because if you’re not okay with that, I think you can just eat yourself from inside and all the time not be happy about what you do on the court.
“I think my career, even if I finish tomorrow, is okay. And if something happens, I’ll be fine with that and I’ll still be a happy person and live my life good.
“So I just want to have this mentality now, because I think when you’re younger, of course, you want to win a slam, this is the goal, number one, and you’re so upset and you can really damage yourself mentally if you don’t succeed.
“I still believe I can win a Grand Slam, but I’m also fine if it’s not going to happen or if it’s not on the cards for me.”
One distraction for Svitolina in Paris will be the buzz surrounding her partner Monfils, who is playing at his home Grand Slam for the last time. On Thursday, the two took part in a charity event called ‘Gael and Friends.’ A series of top players took part in the event, which had a mixture of tennis, music and tributes to Monfils.
“I think it’s of course a bit more things going on, and of course I feel like he’s (Monfils) also excited and nervous and just lots of feelings that he’s feeling,” said Svitolina.
“But it’s more about him and not about me performing well because mine is one thing and his is different. I just want him to play well.”
Svitolina is scheduled to play her first round match on Monday against Hungary’s Anna Bondár.
