Svitolina: It’s important for me to feel good physically and mentally, and not look at points and ratings

The first racket of Ukraine Elina Svitolina spoke about her readiness before the start Roland Garros 2024.

“I have already managed to adapt a little to my injuries, we know what and how to do. Now there are no big problems, there are minor injuries, which I think every athlete has one way or another. This is an absolutely normal process. We do a lot of restorative procedures and I can say that I feel more or less good now, I can train more on the court and have more confidence in my body.”

“Now the number of points and position in the ranking are not particularly important to me. Of course they affect the ability to get to big tournaments. But my main goal is to feel good, both physically and mentally. This is my main priority. When I feel good, I’m motivated, I play well, I take losses in stride and I get back to work.”

“When I started playing last year, I had no ranking at all and then I returned to the top 20. For me, this is an indicator that there is no point in focusing on points and ratings. You need to focus on your physical readiness and mental state. Work, work and work again. I hope that I can finish the full season, because last year I had to end my performances early after the US Open due to a complex leg injury.”

“We know each other well with Karolina Pliskova, we met many times when we were in the top 10, we know how we played when we were in top form. Now it will be a slightly different match – she is returning from some injuries, I am also returning from injuries and the birth of a child. It will be a very interesting fight, I am preparing for it, we are discussing all the tactical aspects with the coach. In any case, she is a top-level player, she has a rather specific game, a very strong serve, flat shots, so she will need to prepare well.”

“Lesya Tsurenko, Nadezhda Kichenok and Olga Savchuk and I went to hold Yulia Starodubtseva, since she was the only one who reached the decisive match in the qualifications. I’m very happy for her that she won that match and joined the Ukrainian roster in the main draw. We met during the Billie Jean King Cup, she is a very warm and cool girl. Without saying a word, the girls and I decided to support her and we all met at her match. I hope she will play for the national team, she enjoys playing for the team and I think she will be a very cool player for our team.”

In the first round of Roland Garros 2024, Svitolina will meet Karolina Pliskova from the Czech Republic. Let us remind you that Elina reached the quarterfinals of the French Open last year.