Elina Svitolina set for huge rankings rise and big prize money after Wimbledon heroics
Elina Svitolina has captured the hearts of the sporting world after her thrilling run at Wimbledon – and now the rewards are set to flow for the Ukrainian star.
The story of Svitolina’s comeback from giving birth to her daughter Skai last October has been one of the most talked about stories at Wimbledon this year.
Her thrilling victory over world No 1 Iga Swiatek was her fourth over a major champion at the grass-court Grand Slam this year as she has also beaten Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin and Victoria Azarenka.
Now the former world No 3 is set for a huge rankings rise, with the win over Swiatek in the quarter-finals enough to secure her a rise of 49 places in the provisional rankings that will be released on Monday.
That would take her back into the world’s top 30, which would be a remarkable rise less than a year after giving birth to her first daughter with partner and fellow tennis star Gael Monfils.
Svitolina has already gained 780 points at Wimbledon and that total could rise if she goes on to lift the trophy.
The prize money is also rolling in for the Ukrainian star, with her run to the semi-finals securing her a £600,000 cash windfall.
Svitolina’s Wimbledon heroics should also ensure that she is seeded for next month’s US Open, with Svitolina admitting the war in his country after Russia’s invasion last year is motivating her to succeed at the All England Club.
“I think war made me stronger and also made me, like, mentally stronger,” she said. “Mentally I don’t take difficult situations as like a disaster, you know? There are worse things in life. I’m just more calm.
“I think also, because I’ve just started to play again, I have different pressures. Of course, I want to win. I have this motivation, like huge motivation, to come back to the top.
“But I think having a child, and war, made me a different person. I look at things a bit differently.”
Svitolina will have a supporter in her Wimbledon efforts in quarter-final rival Swiatek, who is backing the Ukrainian to succeed at the All England Club.
Swiatek has been a huge supporter of the Ukrainian cause following the invasion and wears a blue and yellow ribbon in her cap.
“I think overall, looking at her career, having a grand slam title would be pretty amazing for her. She’s coming back after becoming a mother,” said Swiatek.
“I think, yeah, I’ll root for her, especially because we like each other as people. I told her at the net that I hope she wins this tournament.
“You know how it is in tennis. It’s tough to win a grand slam. I know that for sure she wants it really bad. So I will be rooting for her.”
