Away from the courts at the end of the season after foot surgery in early September, Elina Svitolina was a guest on the podcast Served with Andy Roddick. The former world number 3 took the opportunity to talk about her commitment to the Ukrainians through her foundation created in 2019. She also talked about her impressive performances after giving birth in 2022. Performances which the 30-year-old player still hopes can be achieved. capable when he returns to the courts in 2025.
Video – Roland-Garros 2024 – Svitolina: “Gaël helps me a lot”
“Giving a smile to Ukrainians, I take it as a mission”
Asked by Andy Roddick on the war in Ukraine, Svitolina explained that she was trying to provide support on her own scale. “Of course, it motivates me every morning to do the most of what I can do. It’s very difficult with bad news coming almost every day. I take it as a mission to give a little joy to Ukrainians. I started my foundation in 2019 to motivate young people in Ukraine through Tennis. Obviously, it took on another importance with the war.“In detail, his foundation offers young people the opportunity to participate in tournaments and take part in training camps several times a year.
“Try to be physically and mentally ready”
In October 2022, the Ukrainian champion gave birth to her daughter, Skaï and it only took her a few months before resuming her tennis career with a quarter-final at Roland-Garros and a semi-final at Wimbledon in 2023. An achievement highlighted by Andy RoddickthatElina Svitolina explained by a lowering of one’s own expectations, a way to relieve pressure. “I was just trying to be ready physically and feel good mentally on the court. At the very beginning, in the first six or seven tournaments, I struggled with it and couldn’t get past the second round! I had never had a major injury in my career, so it was hard to accept.” Finally, a title to Strasbourg relaunched it before taking advantage of the public’s support for Roland-Garros “maybe thanks to the fact that I am married to Gaël (Monfils)” to return to the very high level. come-back impressive that she intends to repeat after her foot injury. Now 23rd in the world, Svitolina has agreed to meet at the beginning of next year for the first elements of response.
