A year almost to the day after having put her career on hold to give birth to her daughter and take care of her compatriots who are victims of the war in Ukraine, Elina Svitolina gave a long interview to the Kyiv Post in which she notably mentioned her fight with the sports authorities.
But the old 3e world player also spoke about her upcoming return to competition scheduled for the WTA 500 in Charleston (April 3-9). And to be physically ready, Elina had to make a big effort despite the circumstances.
“Actually, I was lucky. I expected the worst, especially since during my pregnancy I didn’t exercise at all to let my body rest. But one of the reasons I wasn’t motivated to train was the war itself. During the first two months of the invasion, I continued to train. However, it was difficult for me to concentrate mentally, as my family was still in Ukraine. Afterwards, when I rested physically, I spent my time dealing with the emotions caused by the war. And although I had to rebuild my muscles from scratch, two weeks after giving birth I was back to my usual physical shape. And after another three months, I started to gradually return to training. I am currently in Monaco with my coaching staff and we are preparing for the competition in April. »
Posted on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at 5:24 PM
