‘Every day I wake up and I have a mission’: Representing Ukraine continues to motivate Elina Svitolina on and off the court

When Elina Svitolina won her first WTA title in nearly two years on a sunny day at Strasbourg last May, a delighted crowd showered her with cheers as she held up her trophy.

When Svitolina presented the trophies following the girls’ final at a tournament her foundation sponsored in November in Kyiv, Ukraine, it was inside a dark bomb shelter during a missile strike. Svitolina, the rest of the tournament organizers and the teenage participants made the best of the nearly four hours they spent inside the cramped quarters — as they waited for the attack to end in order to start the boys’ final — but it was yet another stark reminder of what daily life is like in Svitolina’s beloved country as the Russian invasion continues.

«It’s these kind of moments that my priorities just shift,» Svitolina, 29, told ESPN last month. «I miss my country a lot. I miss my people. And for me it’s really important to go back when I have time and to really feel again these moments when I’m home because I feel like Ukraine will always be my home, doesn’t matter where I really live. [It’s] why I feel like using my platform is the least that I can do for my country and for my people.»

Since the war began in February 2022, Svitolina has done just that — and she will continue to do so at the Australian Open and beyond this season.

The highest-ranked Ukrainian tennis player in WTA history, and one of the country’s most recognizable public figures, Svitolina has been front and center in raising awareness and money for her homeland, as well as giving Ukrainians something to cheer for. Since she returned to competition in April after giving birth to daughter Skai (with husband and fellow tennis player Gael Monfils) in October 2022, Svitolina won the Strasbourg title and reached the quarterfinals at the French Open and the semifinals at Wimbledon. She was named the WTA Comeback Player of the Year and ended the season ranked inside the top 25. Through it all, she mentioned her country whenever she could, held fundraising events, met with potential donors and spent time with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on multiple occasions.

«I’m representing a country who is at war right now,» Svitolina said. «I see that a lot of people are following my results, and I feel the support from Ukrainians around the world as well. It’s a lot of pressure but it’s a responsibility I have and a big motivation for me. Every day I wake up and I have a mission, both on the court and for [raising] money for my foundation and for United 24 [a Ukrainian government-run charitable foundation].

«Sometimes it’s a big challenge and feels like a lot of pressure on my shoulders, but I am becoming a better person because of this and it’s really made me stronger.»

Svitolina said playing for more than just herself has provided her with purpose on the toughest of days, on and off the court, and she credited it with helping her handle her nerves and remain in the present. Everything, she said, «just clicked» ahead of the French Open, her first major back.

In Paris — which opened play less than two months after her return — she showed few signs of rust, defeating two seeded players, including No. 9 seed Daria Kasatkina, en route to the quarters. Weeks later at Wimbledon she matched her best-ever result at a Grand Slam, defeating current world No. 1 Iga Swiatek and three other major champions.

Naomi Osaka, the four-time major champion who herself returned from maternity leave this month, called Svitolina’s comeback «super inspiring» in a recent interview with ESPN and cited her as motivation for her own return.

Svitolina said she hopes to build on her 2023 success in the new season. At Auckland, her first tournament of the year, she looked like she was ready to do exactly that. She defeated major champions Caroline Wozniacki and Emma Raducanu during her run to the final, where she ultimately lost to reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff in three sets. She will open play at the Australian Open against 18-year-old wild card Taylah Preston. Svitolina is a two-time quarterfinalist in Melbourne.

«I for sure had an amazing season [in 2023] but I always want more and know I can [achieve] more,» Svitolina said.

Svitolina, who has been ranked as high as No. 3 in her career and won the 2018 WTA Finals, knows how good she can be on the sport’s biggest stages. Like many of her peers, she prioritizes the majors and counts winning a Grand Slam title as one of her biggest career goals. But this year, she has her eyes on a different title: Olympic gold.

A bronze medalist in Tokyo in 2021, Svitolina is excited to have a chance to represent Ukraine again this summer.

«I don’t want to put so much pressure on myself because there is already enough pressure, but because of the war, this is like a fifth Slam or maybe even bigger for me,» Svitolina said. «I love to play in Paris and it’s going to be on clay. I love the surface, so I will try my very best to prepare and prepare well. I know that there will be a lot of support, a lot of pressure from different angles, but pressure is a privilege.»

Svitolina held the November tournament in Kyiv, as that had been the city in which she moved to as a 12-year-old to start her professional career. She said it is now almost unrecognizable from the city she remembers as she estimated «almost 80% of it has been damaged,» but it has meant a lot to her to provide opportunities for prospective junior players who have seen their on-court hopes dashed. Many of them have parents fighting in the war, Svitolina said, and tennis has simply taken a back seat.

But tennis has given Svitolina an escape throughout the past 23 months and she has wanted to provide the same for as many kids in Ukraine as she can. As a result of her experience in the war-torn city, as well as everything she’s seen firsthand or through photos and videos, in Ukraine and as a new mother, her perspective — as an athlete and as a person — has changed.

«I just enjoy the little things now,» Svitolina said. «Life can go so quick. For me now, it’s important to just live life to the fullest.»

And that starts with Skai. Svitolina left her at home in Switzerland during the US Open hard-court summer series with her mother and Monfils’ mother, but Skai has been with Svitolina and Monfils throughout their time in New Zealand and Australia. Svitolina’s mom and a nanny are traveling with the family because, as Svitolina said, «it takes a team.» Due to Skai’s young age, Svitolina and Monfils were concerned about the health effects of such a long trip, but decided it was worth it so they could enjoy the time as a family.

Svitolina and Monfils haven’t thought beyond the Australian Open in terms of Skai’s travel schedule and will reevaluate after the tournament. Not thinking too far ahead is a mentality that Svitolina has utilized for much of her return.

Svitolina spent much of the fall recovering from a foot injury, which derailed her hard-court season, and that, combined with having seen Monfils deal with his own stretch of injuries, has made staying healthy her priority. She no longer has a timetable in regard to her career and instead Svitolina said both she and Monfils will just take it one season at a time going forward.

«We don’t want to put any numbers in front of us,» Svitolina said. «We’re looking at it as just each year is important and try to prepare as best for it as possible. We are going to see year by year. And then we’ll see what the future will bring.»