After taking some time off to give birth to her first child with husband Gael Monfils, Elina Svitolina made an incredible comeback to the WTA tour, rising over 200 spots to end the 2023 season inside the top-50.

The Ukrainian tennis star announced her pregnancy in 2022, adding she would be taking time off to prepare for motherhood. Following the birth of her daughter, Skai, Svitolina made her comeback to the WTA circuit in April 2023.

Svitolina stuns tennis world with meteoric rankings rise

The former World No.3 returned to the tennis circuit after a year-long hiatus. Ranked World No.240 at the start of the season, Svitolina wasted little time in proving she still had what it took to compete with the top players. The 29-year old won her 17th career WTA title at Strasbourg in May, before reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open. Subsequently, she upset World No.1 Iga Swiatek en route to a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon, returning to the top 30 before ending the year ranked 25th.

Read also

"I had quite a serious injury": Roland Garros bombshell from Iga Swiatek amid run to third triumph

Svitolina climbed 215 spots during the 2023 season. This was the most by any WTA player who finished inside the top 50, with American Sofia Kenin coming in second after climbing 194 spots from World No.227 to No.33. Compatriot Peyton Stearns also jumped 161 spots, while French Open runner-up rose 143 spots following her successful outing in Paris.

Read also

Chris Evert asks players to make an 'educated' and 'moral decision' before playing in Saudi Arabia