Elina Svitolina reveals big goal she accomplished in her post-pregnancy return

Elina Svitolina reveals one of her first goals was to return to the top-100 and then she started aiming to return to being the top-ranked Ukrainian female tennis player. Svitolina, a former world No 3, didn’t play for 13 months and she was ranked outside the top-1000 at one point this year.

After winning a WTA 250 event in Strasbourg and also reaching the French Open quarterfinal, Svitolina returned to the top-100 – she was ranked at No 73 after the French Open. Then, Svitolina told her coach she wanted to again be the top-ranked Ukrainian tennis player.

At the time, Anhelina Kalinina was ranked inside the top-30 and Svitolina’s coach thought the Ukrainian was setting big goals to achieve in the remainder of the 2023 season. But after reaching the Wimbledon semifinal, Svitolina returned to the top-30 and again became the top-ranked player from her country.

Svitolina on returning to being the Ukrainian No 1

“When I started playing, I had my sights set on the WTA top 100. And I didn’t do very well in the first tournaments. Then somehow I sped up a little after the victory in Strasbourg and the quarterfinals of Roland Garros.

I remember the moment when I…