Elina started the season by reaching the finals of the event in New Zealand
The first racket of Ukraine Elina Svitolina summed up the results of her performance at the tournament in Auckland. According to the tennis player, she was pleased with the support of Ukrainian fans who followed her games, despite the significant difference in time zones between Ukraine and New Zealand.
“I always remind myself that there are many people, men and women, fighting for our country right now. And here I am, in a safe place, and I have the amazing opportunity to play tennis in front of so many people, to play a sport that I love, and I have to cherish this moment.”
“I have to fight. Those people who fight for Ukraine give me that motivation, give me that courage and that unbreakable spirit, they really motivate me to show the best version of myself. Therefore, I am very proud that I am Ukrainian, I am proud that we have this spirit. We are fighting for our freedom and that is what I remind myself every day and it is a huge motivation to give 100% every time I step on the court.”
“I receive a lot of messages that Ukrainians watch my matches and support me. I’ve always played here late at night, which for them is 5 or 6 o’clock in the morning, and yet a lot of people are watching. They tell me that it brings a little bit of light into their days because some days are very, very hard. It really fills my heart with warmth and that’s why I get motivation from situations like this.”
“Of course it’s sad that I couldn’t win [финал] and bring the trophy to your country. But at the end of the day, the most important thing is morale. I need to enjoy the big fights and hope that I will still have opportunities to play in the final.”
“Of course, losing the final upsets me, but to tell you the truth, it would be a miracle if I won this fight, because in the last few days I could barely get up on my feet in the mornings. Everything that happened was a bonus for me, and in the end I’m happy.”
The Ukrainian successfully opened the season, reaching the final of the WTA 250 tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, where she lost in three sets to American Coco Gauff (1:2). The tournament in Auckland was Elina’s first in four months. On the way to the final, the Ukrainian beat former world number one Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark, snatched victory from Briton Emma Raducanu, defeated Siu Wang from China and confidently dealt with Marie Bouzkova from the Czech Republic.
Very soon, Svitolina (together with Angelina Kalinina, Lesya Tsurenko and Marta Kostyuk) will start in the main draw of the first major of the year – Australian Open-2024. The event will take place from January 14 to January 28, 2024.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ben Stock and I work in Athletistic as an author. My specialty is covering football news and other related topics. I have been writing for this website since the past 2 years, crafting compelling stories with the latest updates in the sports world. My articles have gained widespread appreciation amongst readers due to their accuracy and depth of research.
