"I expect a return to the top 10": Svitolina still aiming high in post pregnancy return after reaching fourth round in consecutive Grand Slams

WTA
Saturday, 08 July 2023 at 21:00
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Elina Svitolina expressed her desire to make a comeback to the top-10 rankings after her break due to pregnancy.
Svitolina's adaptation to the WTA tour after being out for a year has been quick. Most players take several months to regain their level, especially top players, and it can be challenging and lengthy for players to return to their pre-break position after pregnancy.
However, there are several examples of successful comebacks, such as Victoria Azarenka, who remained competitive after the birth of her son in 2016, and Serena Williams, who returned after the birth of her daughter in 2017, although neither reached their pre-pregnancy results. Other successful examples include Kim Clijsters, who returned after a two-year break in 2009 and won three Grand Slam titles before retiring, and Lindsay Davenport, who also won two Grand Slam titles after returning from a break due to pregnancy.
Svitolina's case has been remarkable, as just three months after her comeback, she has shown that she is approaching her pre-break level. The former world No. 3 is currently ranked No. 53 in the live WTA ranking, despite being outside the top 1000 in late April.
“Every time I participate in a tournament, I want to win it. It doesn’t matter.”
“Even the first tournament I played in Charleston, everyone said to me, ‘Oh, it’s incredible, you are already playing your first tournament in April’. But even then, my goal was to win the tournament.”
Svitolina was the champion of the Estrasburgo Open and then reached the quarterfinals of the 2023 French Open, losing to Aryna Sabalenka by 6-4, 6-4. Regarding her upcoming goals, the Ukrainian said, "
“I didn’t know how my body was going to react under a lot of pressure, when there’s a lot going on in your head, when you have a lot of adrenaline, nerves.
“Your body is a little different, it reacts differently. So it takes time. For some people, it may click a little earlier. For some, it takes time, so you have to expect the worst for everything to go well.
Svitolina's best result at Wimbledon so far is reaching the semifinals in 2019, where she lost to the eventual champion and one of her biggest rivals, Simona Halep, who had also eliminated Victoria Azarenka along the way, Azarenka being Svitolina's next opponent.
Azarenka's best result at the All England Club is reaching the semifinals in 2011 and 2012. The match between Svitolina and Azarenka will be a showdown between two of the top players in the WTA in recent years, although Azarenka holds a 5-0 head-to-head advantage.

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