Elina Svitolina reacts to heartbreaking retirement after feeling like she was ‘shot in the back’

Ewan West
Elina Svitolina emotional Aus Open
Elina Svitolina retires at the Australian Open

Elina Svitolina has revealed the cruel injury that forced her to retire in tears at the 2024 Australian Open made her feel like she had been “shot in the back.”

During her last 16 encounter with world No 50 Linda Noskova, Svitolina was forced to withdraw after just three games due to a back injury after receiving a medical timeout.

The 29-year-old Ukrainian star lost serve in a lengthy opening game, before Noskova held to love and broke her serve again in the third game.

The world No 23 had displayed impressive form in Melbourne as she progressed to the fourth round without losing a set in wins over Taylah Preston, Viktoriya Tomova and Viktorija Golubic.

Svitolina was one of just four seeded players who made it to the last 16 in the top half of the women’s draw, with no top 10 players left on this side.

World No 15 Zheng Qinwen, who will face Oceane Dodin in the last women’s match on Monday, is now the only seed left in the top half after Victoria Azarenka and Jasmine Paolini lost today.

Noskova, who stunned world No 1 Iga Swiatek in the third round, will face another Ukrainian – Dayana Yastremska – in the quarter-finals.

After leaving the court in tears following her injury retirement, Svitolina spoke about the back issue that surfaced in the match.

“Yeah, I got a spasm, or I don’t know exactly what it is, but like shooting pain in the first game, the last two points. Yeah, couldn’t do anything. Completely locked my back. Just very sad, of course, so yeah,” she explained.

“I felt little bit, but it’s quite normal. Been playing some tennis in this tournament already. You know, fourth round, you have a little bit stiffness somewhere. Nothing really special. Like not a big issue before.

“Yeah, this one I think I never had that before, the shooting pain like this. I had some injuries to my back before where it just was tiredness the next day of the match, but this one was really out of nowhere. I felt like someone shot me in the back, so yeah.

“[It is still] bad, yeah. It really locked. My low back completely locked. So, yeah, I’m really in pain even walking, turning. I cannot move side-to-side. Yeah, very strange.”

The former world No 3 also did not want to view her exit as an opportunity lost despite the openness of the top half of the draw.

“I mean, the players are there. Everyone is strong. Everyone is playing great tennis. If they beat top 10 or if they beat some good players on the way to quarter-finals, semi-final, or the final, that means they are meant to be there,” the Ukrainian said.

“Opportunity, of course. Ranking-wise maybe and maybe not in a way. Even if you take my opponent today, Linda, I know she beat Iga. She’s a good player and played really, really well the matches before as well, so she’s in good form.

“So, I mean, I cannot say that this was like an open draw in a way. Also, if you take other players, they are meant to be there. You have also in the other side of the draw very strong players who won slams and played really consistent throughout the year last year.

“So I don’t want to look this as a missed opportunity, especially right now when it was not about my tennis today. It was just my body just shut down, unfortunately.”

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