"Being pregnant is one thing, but what comes afterwards is another story" - A satisfied Svitolina singles out return from pregnancy as greatest accomplishment

Elina Svitolina has had a tennis career to be proud of. On the face of it, the results and titles won are enough for many tennis fans to remember her for a long time following her inevitable retirement from the sport, but on top of that was her return from action after her pregnancy which has been noted as an unbelievable achievement, and one that fills her with pride.

One of the standout players in 2026, the former WTA Finals champion has been a threat to anyone on her day with some eye-catching results. Most notably her third Rome Open title was a special moment for her.

On top of that, a run to the semi-finals of the Australian Open was instantly backed up with a final in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, only losing out to an equally impressive Jessica Pegula. Ranked 10th in the world, it is only up from here thanks to there not being too many points to defend in this second half of the season.

Constantly she has been reminded of her triumphs on centre stage, as confirmed in an interview with the WTA, but the overall priority is to stay in contention, and that is to be fit and healthy.

"Well, I think the media and journalists remind me every time," she began. "But yeah, I feel I've had a really strong start to the season. It was an incredible run for me and I'm just enjoying myself on court. The priority for me is to stay healthy, because if I'm healthy, I give myself a good chance to play well."

Svitolina explained how she is still in remarkable shape. "I'm a big fan of Barry's workouts. When you're in the dark with the music pumping and you're pushing yourself so much, that's kind of my style. I also do Pilates and I'm really in my 'taking care of myself' era."

There is a lot to be proud about for Svitolina when looking back at her tennis career. So many accomplishments and deep runs in the biggest tournaments, now and again ending in glory.

Nevertheless, she singled out her return to action following a stint on the side lines while she was pregnant as her most proud moment. Mother to three-year-old daughter Skai, Svitolina has had to juggle her pregnancy with the imminent return to the WTA Tour and has done so in brilliant fashion, cementing herself in the top 10 in the world after finding some brilliant momentum in 2026.

"I'm really proud of my comeback after pregnancy," she noted. "I think a lot of people—and maybe especially men—don't really understand what women go through after pregnancy. Being pregnant is one thing, but what comes afterwards is another story. Your body changes and you realise it's never going to be exactly the same again. You have to accept that and work with it.

"I think it's so important to give yourself time. That really helped me not to rush and just live in the moment. It's still very nice to have the opportunity to push yourself. Maybe it's different, but it's a new kind of different—a new energy, a new power and a new perspective on life. It's been a very interesting journey."

Five years is a long time in most aspects of life, but in tennis when a career may not span too north of a decade, it is a huge chunk of time. The Ukrainian turns 32 in October but is still at the height of her powers on court.

Retirement now is most certainly unthinkable, but if that was the case then she would look back in her career with immense pride. "I think even if I finished my career tomorrow, I'd still be a happy person," she admitted.

There are still numerous titles yet to be clinched, including most notably a Grand Slam, but it is not a huge issue from her perspective. "I don't want my results to define my happiness. It took me some time to realise that if I don't win a Grand Slam, that's still okay. I can live with that and continue to have a happy life afterwards. It wouldn't be the end of the world if it never happened."

Despite this, she is not ruling out the chance of clinching major silverware one day. "That doesn't mean I don't believe I can still win one," she confidently stated. "Maybe in the next couple of years I'll get that chance. But I've reached a point where I'm okay if it doesn't happen. I'll have my family, maybe I'll be playing golf or looking after the kids.

"For me, I just want to finish my career on my own terms. Of course I'd like to play for a couple more years, so I hope my body allows me to do that. I just want to be at peace with myself and take care of my family."