World number 5 Elina Svitolina said in an interview to the Ukrainian website BTU that she is optimistic about the chance to play the US Open and Roland Garros next September.
Svitolina claimed 14 WTA singles titles, including the 2018 WTA Finals, two editions of the Rome Internazionali d’Italia in 2017 and 2018 and claimed two doubles WTA titles. She also reached two Grand Slam semifinals at Wimbledon and at the US Open in 2019. She has scored six wins over a world number 1. This year Svitolina beat Katie Boulter and Lauren Davis before losing to eventual finalist Garbine Muguruza at the Australian Open. She lost to Nao Hibino in the Hua Hin quarter final and in the first round in Dubai to Jennifer Brady and in Doha to Amanda Anisimova. Svitolina claimed her 14th title in Monterrey beating Marie Bouzkova in the final.
Svitolina has resumed training and is planning to play an exhibition tournament in Berlin next July.
”I managed to practice both with Gael Monfils and Stan Wawrinka. I am doing it just to physically be ready to go to court. Then I leave for a while in Monaco and further on arrival, about a month before the tournaments, I will begin to work with my coach Andrew Bettles. Then I will focus more on work on the court. To be honest, we still don’t know on which surface it is better to train. I think that I will prepare for hard. I will play in Berlin from 13 to 19 July. We know that now there is a very big chance that both the US Open and French Open will take place, because everything is beginning to open slowly, although there will be strict measures. I think that by the end of August or September there will be tournaments held. Officially there are no announcements, but I am in the mindset that I will need to train soon, so the tournament in Berlin is a good start”, said Svitolina.
