Svitolina: ‘It’s heavy but a huge motivation’

Her upset of Williams at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and Rybakina for the bronze medal in Tokyo four years ago came when competing for something bigger – the people of Ukraine.

Svitolina accepts that every major victory carries far greater significance since war began on home soil three years ago.

“Definitely very important for me personally,” Svitolina said. “Last few months have been really, really tough for Ukrainian people, and last few weeks have been awful as well.

“It's something that all Ukrainians that we live on a daily basis with, the bad news. So, you know, when I'm on the court, I'm fully focused on my job, on my tennis, and try to get these wins, try to keep Ukrainian flag flying for my country.

“That's what motivates me to keep pushing, to keep winning, to keep playing tennis in general. So this is what I have on a daily basis … It's heavy, but in the same way it's a huge motivation for me.”

Svitolina’s defeat of last year’s finalist in Paris, Paolini, was not without precedent at a major.

She also sprang the surprise from a set down against the Italian in the third round of this year’s Australian Open and later held a set lead on eventual champion Madison Keys in the quarter-finals.

This time she rebounded from a 1-4 second-set deficit and fended off three match points for a tilt at derailing four-time champion Iga Swiatek.

Her 150 Grand Slam matches include a win over the Pole – at Wimbledon two years ago. None of them included a comeback from match point down until Sunday.

In the mix as one of the best players yet to have claimed a major, the former world No.3 has been a beacon of consistency since her return from the birth of daughter Skai, whom she and husband Gael Monfils welcomed in 2022.

The 30-year-old has reached the fourth round or better at six of the eight majors since, including making the Wimbledon semi-finals two years ago and three further quarter-finals.

“I feel like it's a process. I feel I had a great two years now being back on tour,” she said. “The first year in a few months I got back into top 20. Then I had injury, which didn't allow me to finish the season.

“Then last September I had surgery. So a mixture of different things didn't allow me to play a full season. Even in September last year, I still missed the Asian swing.

“Now after the surgery, after playing well in Australia and now on clay courts, I feel good. I feel like I'm back with my game. Just now I have to work hard to give myself a chance to earn these opportunities to go one step further.”

Svitolina reached her first quarter-final in Paris in 2015. Since then, only Williams – with 16 – has reached more Slam quarter-finals than the Ukrainian’s 13.

On her run to the last eight in Melbourne in January, she told the Rod Laver Arena crowd that bringing the fight was the least she could have done for those back home. She reiterated that message in Paris.

“I want to focus on the innocent people that are suffering in Ukraine, the kids, the kids that are suffering back in Ukraine. The kids are our future, and we need to take care of them,” she said after her 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-1 win over Paolini at Court Philippe-Chatrier.

“Like through my foundation, I try to give them the opportunity to continue playing sport, to continue dreaming, to continue training, to continue just having this one or two hours a day where they can enjoy the sport, where they can just switch off for this moment and be just kids, you know.

“The kids not in the war, but just kids who are like in the States, like here in France who can just simply enjoy the sport, enjoy the game.”

There is no greater motivation for Svitolina to dream of something bigger in Paris than her family and the people of Ukraine.