Ukrainian veteran Elina Svitolina, 28, enjoyed remarkable showings at the two most recent majors, reaching the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and semifinals at Wimbledon. Standard stuff for the former world No. 3, right?
Not exactly.
Svitolina, one-half of a tennis power couple along with her husband Gael Monfils on the men’s tour, gave birth to a baby girl, Skaï, last October. Five months later, she was not only back to hitting tennis balls, she was back on tour–and, within weeks, at her vintage best. That is shocking enough. But add to that Svitolina's personal investment in her country’s people and defense in the ongoing war with Russia, and the negative attention that her outspokenness has elicited in some quarters?
It’s a wonder she can focus on keeping the ball between the lines.
For those who can appreciate the divided loyalties of a working mother, and those open to accepting her very heartfelt response to the Russian invasion and destruction of Ukraine, Svitolina represents one of the most heartwarming stories in all of pro sports. The most prolific tennis player in her nation's history, Svitolina has demonstrated herself to be courageous, resolute and committed. For those of us accustomed to hearing athletes give pat answers and avoid controversy at all costs, her stance, and the complicated position she finds herself in, are refreshingly human.
On one hand, Svitolina represents a standard-issue sports comeback tale. On the other, the Ukrainian is living out a true Cinderella story, persevering with grace and grit under pressure, against the backdrop of geopolitics.
After maternity leave, Svitolina returned to the tour in March of this year and promptly–even understandably–lost six of her first seven matches. But the Ukrainian, whose ranking had plummeted to No. 192, surrendered just one set in winning the title at Strasbourg in May. At Roland Garros the next week, Svitolina defeated two seeds, including Daria Kasatkina, before falling to No. 2 seed, Aryna Sabalenka.
Svitolina donated her prize money from her Internationaux de Strasbourg win to a charity for Ukrainian children, and she committed to do the same with her winnings in Paris.
As a wild card at Wimbledon, Svitolina defeated the five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams and two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka en route to the quarterfinals. There Svitolina upset No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek before succumbing in the semifinal to the eventual titlist Marketa Vondrousova.
Remarking on her stunning success since returning to the tour, Svitolina didn’t hesitate to address the larger context.
“War made me stronger and also made me mentally stronger,” she said. “I don’t take difficult situations as like a disaster, you know? There are worse things in life. I’m just … calmer.”
“It’s unbelievable that they’ve been with me all the way,” said Svitolina of her compatriots, tearing up at an emotional press conference after her Wimbledon loss.
How did she handle the weight of playing for her country?, she was asked. “It’s a big motivation, but also a lot of responsibility, a lot of tension. I try to balance it as much as I can.”
Svitolina had spent a full year away from tennis–a combination of persistent back problems and starting a family, as well as the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for war-torn Ukraine through her namesake foundation and in partnership with the United24 program created by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy (for which Svitolina is an ambassador).
“As a Ukrainian, I cannot be silent,” Svitolina said. “I want to scream everywhere I can and use my voice [to] the fullest.”
"This year has been both the happiest and the most tragic for me," Svitolina wrote on Instagram. "The moment when I found out that Gael and I were going to have a child, the war broke out in my country. Even now, I still can't fully describe what I was feeling at that moment. I felt hurt and powerless because I couldn't stop this terrible war. However, I made a decision to take action."
Svitolina was born in Odesa and grew up between there and Kharkiv–both cities heavily targeted by Russia. Her parents were able to escape Ukraine but her grandmother remains in Odesa. The tennis star, who had started her eponymous foundation in 2019 to give financial support to junior Ukrainian tennis players, shifted its emphasis after the Russian invasion to provide crisis relief to Ukrainian refugees (including junior tennis players who fled Ukraine after the war began).
"My team and I solidly believe in Ukraine’s victory,” she said, “and we are already thinking of post-war restoration of sport infrastructures.”
The Ukrainian has been plain and resolute about her decision not to shake the hand of any Russian or Belarussian opponent after a match, even if fans don’t always understand her refusal, or even boo the opposing player in ignorance. It’s messy, for sure. Svitolina wishes everyone would focus on the war and not the handshakes.
Svitolina isn’t the only Ukrainian tennis player to get involved in the war effort. The former men’s pros Sergiy Stakhovsky and Alexandr Dolgopolov both volunteered for the war effort, Stakhovsky as a mortar shooter and Dolgopolov as a drone operator.
The week before the start of the US Open, Svitolina appeared at Stars of the Open, a Fan Week charity event that raised more than $300,000 for humanitarian relief in Ukraine, along with Carlos Alcaraz, Matteo Berrettini, Jessica Pegula, Frances Tiafoe, John McEnroe and Gabriela Sabatini.
Despite the wear and worry of the situation in her homeland, Svitolina's Instagram followers saw her lighter side after her unexpected run at the All England Club when she realized she wouldn’t be able to go to the Harry Styles concert in Vienna she had planned to attend.
The official Wimbledon Instagram account posted a message from Svitolina: "Hey guys!! I was supposed to go see my fav Harry Styles concert in Vienna tomorrow... But Wimbledon changed my plans. Someone want to go? I have two tickets."
Asked on court about having to give away the tickets, Svitolina said, “Well, I hope Harry is watching, maybe. I’m just a big fan of his,” she said, grinning widely and making a coquettish “heart” gesture with her hands.
The moment went viral, Styles got word of it, and the music superstar personally invited the Ukrainian to be his guest at another concert: "Congratulations! We have four shows to go; you're welcome at any of them. Good luck with the rest of the tournament! H."
Elina Svitolina: Just a busy young mom, trying to work out complicated career schedules, hoping to get a night off to see a pop star now and again.