SVITOLINA: “Sometimes you have to take one step back to take three steps forward”

Ukraine’s first racket Elina Svitolina She said at a press conference about her victory at the WTA 250 hard court tournament in Auckland:

“It was a really difficult week with matches of a different nature, but I am very happy with my performance, the way I coped with the pressure, strong opponents and difficult situations. So, considering the experience I had two years ago when I fell a little short in the final (against Coco Gauff), I am very happy to win on these courts and win a trophy, but this time I won another trophy.

19 wins in 23 finals? It’s hard to say why, but I try to focus 100% on every point in the final. I think you end up with mixed emotions and a lot of pressure. That’s why it’s important to fight. You just need to focus and try to win the championship. And yes, everything is going well so far.

Do you want to end the season early and start a new year? Of course, this win means a lot to me, especially after the difficult end of last season. I was in a very bad place mentally and I decided to take a break to avoid finishing the season and I was very tired mentally.

Sometimes it is not easy to end the season early, but sometimes you have to take a step back in order to take two or three steps forward. I think I’m in good shape right now. I’m playing well. The offseason went well. “I was ready to work because when you are mentally tired, you don’t even have the strength to work, to deal with difficult situations, to be resilient.”

Monfils and his trophy in Auckland in 2026? We really enjoy playing here. There is nothing we don’t like except the wind blowing occasionally. But we can’t control it, it’s nature. I think the organization is great, the fans are great too.

Most of the matches the stadium is full, everyone even stays up late to watch the matches and everything is very well organised. So of course, as a player, it’s nice to come back to these types of tournaments.”

Photo of Elina Svitolina from the press conference