Svitolina steps up return with first ITF appearance in 10 years
Elina Svitolina’s return to tennis after maternity leave is gathering pace, with the former world No. 3 set to compete on the ITF World Tennis Tour for the first time in a decade.
The 28-year-old Ukrainian, who gave birth to her first child in October, began her comeback at the WTA event in Charleston at the turn of April and has accepted a wild card into this week's W60 Chiasso tournament in a bid to rediscover match sharpness.
It will be the first time she has contested a women’s tournament at ITF level (which covers the W100, W80, W60, W40, W25 and W15 categories) since she won her sixth ITF singles title on home soil at $75,000 Dontesk in August 2013.
And Svitolina believes that the tournament is a natural fit for her as she ramps up her return.
"Why Chiasso? I've always been comfortable in Ticino (an Italian-speaking region in Southern Switzerland),” she said. “My husband lives in Switzerland and I've heard great things about the tournament. I am grateful to the organisation for the wild card.”
Svitolina impressed in her first match as a mother in Charleston last week, narrowly losing 6-7(3) 6-2 6-4 to Yulia Putintseva in a punishing two-hour-46-minute encounter. Though that clash showed she is ready to compete at the highest level, the Ukrainian knows it will take time to return to her peak.
"The feeling of returning to the court in Charleston was fantastic, I had missed it,” admitted Svitolina. “Chiasso is a perfect tournament to play good matches and regain continuity, but I will take the tournament one match at a time.
“Since January I have been back in training with the goal of returning as soon as possible and I have been working on clay for two months knowing that most likely my first matches would coincide with this time of the season.”
Svitolina is working with a new coach in former ATP pro Raemon Sluiter but admitted that her comeback to the professional game has been made much easier by husband Gael Monfils, who has been rehabbing a foot injury since ending his season in October.
“This winter we both prepared ourselves to come back and compete and it was great because we motivated each other,” said Svitolina. “It's important to have someone who understands your goals.”
A three-time quarter-finalist at Roland Garros, Svitolina hopes to play another ITF event at W100 Oeiras on 17-23 April, before switching her attention back to the WTA Tour and events at W125 Saint-Malo and Rome before another tilt at Grand Slam glory in Paris.
“I love everything about that tournament,” said Svitolina of Rome, where she is a two-time champion. “I will try to do well there and at Roland Garros.
“[As for ranking goals], my tennis has priority – the ranking will be a [result] of the level I can express.”
Svitolina faces Romanian Elena Gabriela Ruse in the first round at W60 Chiasso on Wednesday. Follow the live streams/scores here.