Andy Murray highlighted Elina Svitolina's achievements post-pregnancy return.
The Ukrainian tennis player had an impressive comeback to the WTA tour this year. Svitolina took a break after announcing her pregnancy and the subsequent birth of her daughter with tennis player Gael Monfils.
Svitolina returned in April when she was ranked world No. 1344 and initially participated in lower-level tournaments. Although she faced early exits in Madrid and the Rome Open, she claimed the title at the WTA 250 Estrasburgo Open just before Roland Garros.
In the following weeks, she reached the quarterfinals at the French Open and the semifinals at Wimbledon, allowing her to return to the top 30 rankings just eight weeks after being outside the top 1000.
Former world No. 1 Andy Murray spoke about Svitolina in an interview during the DC Open, where she already reached the quarterfinals by defeating Victoria Azarenka and Daria Kasatkina. Murray praised Svitolina as an example after her incredible return to the WTA tour.
“I'm amazed how well & how quickly Svitolina came back playing at such a good level so soon after having a kid is amazing. Having examples like that, if the players want to do it, will encourage more players to take breaks in their careers,” Murray said.
Svitolina has not only progressed in the major tournaments but also defeated strong opponents along the way. In the past two months, she has secured victories over Kasatkina and Azarenka twice each. Additionally, she has defeated Elise Mertens, Sofia Kenin, and the world No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, Murray is currently competing in the ATP 500 Dallas Open, where he entered as the 15th seed and advanced to the second round after defeating the young local player Brandon Nakashima in the first round.
His next match will be a challenging encounter against the first seed and local player Taylor Fritz, who defeated Zachary Svajda in the first round.
Andy Murray amazed by Elina Svitolina: “I'm amazed how well & how quickly Svitolina came back playing at such a good level so soon after having a kid is amazing. Having examples like that, if the players want to do it, will encourage more players to take breaks in their careers”
