Former world No 3 Elina Svitolina admits she misses competing as she is looking forward to hopefully making a strong return in 2023. Svitolina, 28, appeared in a total of eight tournaments this year. After suffering surprise back-to-back defeats in her Indian Wells and Miami openers, Svitolina announced an indefinite break from tennis.
In May, Svitolina announced pregnancy. In October, Svitolina and her husband Gael Monfils welcomed their first child, a baby girl Skai. “I miss the tour. Practicing and the fans too. But what I miss the most is victory.
I want to get back to my level, win games and enjoy those moments,” Svitolina said, per We Are Tennis.
“I miss the tour. Practicing and the fans too. But what I miss the most is victory. I want to get back to my level, win games and enjoy those moments.”
Elina Svitolina Monfils pic.twitter.com/qMEj8nnj9p — We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) December 5, 2022
Svitolina announced a break from tennis after the Sunshine Double
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine started, Svitolina decided to continue playing but it was evident that she was in a distress over what was happening in her country.
During the Sunshine Double, Svitolina picked up surprise defeats to Harriet Dart and Heather Watson. Then, Svitolina announced an indefinite break from tennis as she admitted that the devastating scenes from her country were taking a big toll on her.
“When I was playing in Indian Wells and Miami it was impossible to focus, I didn’t perform as good as I wanted. I couldn’t focus properly on practice and on the match. This was devastating for me. I was mentally drained, and this is not good.
I cannot perform at the highest level,” Svitolina explained in May. After Svitolina announced in May that she was pregnant, it was evident that she would not play again in 2022. On October 15, Svitolina took to Twitter to announce the happy news.
“What a night!!! Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Skaï Monfils. Can’t thank enough my husband to live thru this unforgettable moment with me,” Svitolina tweeted in October. It remains to be seen when will Svitolina return to competitive action.
