Svitolina is fighting fit to end season on high
World No6 goes into the WTA Finals explaining to Vicki Hodges why she is a big fan of Anthony Joshua
Jet lag might be one of the banes of life for the leading players on the tennis circuit, but it can have its benefits. When Elina Svitolina woke wide-eyed in the early hours in a Wuhan hotel room ahead of the first of her Asian-swing tournaments last month, the timing could not have been better. She simply reached for the remote control, switched on the TV and tuned into Anthony Joshua’s victory over Alexander Povetkin, the Russian challenger, in London.
Fighting sports are one of Svitolina’s passions. Growing up in Ukraine, which has produced a myriad of talented boxers, and with the influence of her father, a former wrestler, Svitolina is a self-avowed fan of Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk. The sight of Joshua bringing the curtain down on a former two-time world heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko, in April 2017, could have been viewed as a dark day for Svitolina; rather, her admiration for Joshua’s performance simply elevated him in her affections.
“I’m a big fan of Joshua’s,” Svitolina, 24, says, as she prepares for the season-ending WTA Finals in Singapore, which begin today. “I started following him after he fought Klitschko, so it was very interesting to watch his fight [against Povetkin].
“In Ukraine, boxing is a huge sport. They have lots of great boxers. I follow Joshua on his social media channels and watch the incredible workouts he does – I find them really interesting.”
No wonder. Svitolina, a winner of 12 WTA singles titles and now the world No6, incorporates pad-work into her own training sessions and uses a boxing gym in west London when her schedule allows.
For Svitolina, her openness to alternative training regimes, changes to nutrition and scheduling, are the marginal gains she hopes will elevate her to the top.
Last year was a stellar season. She claimed five titles, rose to No3 in the world and became the first Ukrainian to compete at the WTA Finals. The only blot on her copybook has been the grand slams, where she has reached the quarter-finals in only three out of 25 appearances. A first-round exit at Wimbledon this year prompted her to make physical changes.
Svitolina, who has always been slight for her 5ft 8in frame, was noticeably leaner during the hardcourt season but lost in the US Open fourth round.
“For me, it was something I was looking to make changes to [her body shape] and see how it would go,” she says. “There will be ups and downs but I’m moving in the right direction. I’m happy with the way I’m moving on court now. I’m happy with my body. It takes time to adjust. But I’m still in the top eight of the world, so, for me, it’s important to try something new that can help.”
Svitolina is not afraid to switch tack if things are not going to plan. Last month, she mutually parted ways with her coach, Thierry Ascione, and has been working with Nick Saviano, who previously worked with Sloane Stephens and Eugenie Bouchard.
“I wanted someone to have a fresh look at my game for the rest of the season and with next year in mind. I want someone to make small changes to my game so I can play great tennis when I’m playing big players.”
Seven-times grand slam champion Justine Henin was in Svitolina’s camp as a coaching consultant in 2016 and played a key role in helping the Ukrainian make the leap from the juniors to the main circuit.
“I was transferring from the juniors very slowly and it was important to work with her and have her opinion on my game and what I needed to change. The results I had in 2017 had a big impact. For me [working with Henin], was something I needed at that moment. Sometimes when I play well she messages me, which is very nice. Now she tries to spend a lot of time with her family.”
Henin was a two-time winner at the WTA Finals in 2006 and 2007 and Svitolina hopes a successful run in Singapore, where the round-robin format pits the world’s best eight players against each other, can act as a springboard for next year.
The baseline player, who relies on good movement and precision rather than power, secured her place at the season-ending event only last week, but has been motivated to end a year of consolation on a high note.
“It’s amazing to play with all the best players in the world,” she says.
“It makes you feel pretty special that you achieve this goal to play in Singapore. I’ve had plenty of motivation to play well the last few weeks and achieve the highest ranking possible at the end of the season.”
However, do not expect Svitolina to turn to her new coach Saviano during the changeover in Singapore, which is hosting the event for the final time before it moves to Shenzhen next year, for tactical insight or words of encouragement.
Despite her fondness for boxing, where trainers can impart their advice at the end of each round, Svitolina is passionately against on-court coaching in tennis. It is an issue which became a talking point during the US Open final, when Serena Williams was penalised for illegal coaching from the stands.
“No. I’m not for coaching at any tournament,” she says. “You do all the hard work with your coaches before the tournament starts. Then when you’re on court it’s down to you to show what you’ve learnt.”