Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has won the "Comeback Player of the Year" award from the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). The announcement was made by the organization's press service on December 11.
Svitolina took a break from her tennis career in the spring of 2022 due to pregnancy. After the birth of her daughter in October of the same year, the Ukrainian resumed her performances in April 2023. Prior to the career hiatus, Svitolina was in the top 10 of the world rankings, but upon her return, she started at the 1081st position in the WTA rankings.
Upon her return, Svitolina faced four losses in five matches. However, she managed to reach the quarterfinals of the French Open and the semifinals of Wimbledon by the end of the season. Within five months of her comeback, the 29-year-old Svitolina reclaimed the status of Ukraine's top-ranked tennis player. She concludes the current year at the 25th position in the WTA rankings.
"Over the course of five months, Svitolina has climbed the rankings and finished the year as if she never left," stated the WTA announcement.
Elina Svitolina is a Ukrainian tennis player who was the third-ranked player in the world in the WTA singles rankings in 2017, 2018, and 2019. She won a bronze medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (2021) and was the champion of the WTA Finals in 2018. Svitolina has secured victories in 17 WTA singles tournaments and two in doubles. She has reached the semifinals of Grand Slam tournaments three times (2019, 2023) and the quarterfinals seven times (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023). She is considered the most successful tennis player in the history of Ukrainian tennis.
