Elina Svitolina is back in China for tennis for the first time since 2019 and the world No. 13 instantly reveals she is planning to play a full schedule during this part of the season.
In late 2019, Svitolina appeared in four WTA tournaments in Asia. Then, the Ukrainian also participated at the 2019 WTA Finals, which took place in Shenzhen - she fell just short of winning the title after losing to Ashleigh Barty in the final.
Since then, a couple of things happened that prevented Svitolina from playing in this particular part of the world. Firstly, the pandemic started and no tennis events took place in Asia during the 2021 and 2022 events. In early 2022, the Ukrainian got pregnant with her first baby and didn't play again until the spring of 2023. While the Asian swing returned to the calendar in 2023, the former world No. 3 didn't play because of a foot issue that forced her to end her 2023 and 2024 seasons after the US Open.
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On Wednesday, Svitolina will represent Ukraine when her nation faces Spain in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals quarterfinal in Shenzhen. It will mark the Ukrainian playing her first match on Asian soil in six years.
Svitolina: I had surgeries, pregnancy... But now I'm ready for a full Chinese swing
"It's been a good season for me. Of course, I always wish to play even more, even better. For me, the Chinese season is a full swing. All the tournaments that there are, I will be trying to play. It depends on my physical condition. Just take one day at a time and not rush," 31-year-old Svitolina said at the Billie Jean King Cup FInals in Shenzhen.
It's been a very long time since I've been here, for many reasons. Also the pregnancy, I had to skip a couple of years. I also had some surgeries. But now I'm excited that we are here for the Finals. It's very exciting to be a part of the event, to be able to be playing here again in China. It's been so long ago for me. I feel like it was in another life for me. Now it's a new event. Just trying to adjust as well as I can, just trying to do my best.
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After the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, Svitolina will compete at the WTA 1000 tournaments in Beijing and Wuhan.
