AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 19, 2022

Elina Svitolina

Press Conference

E. SVITOLINA/H. Tan

6-3, 5-7, 5-1 (ret.)

THE MODERATOR: Through the next round. Talk us through it and how you're feeling.

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, it was a tough match. Was up and down a little bit. I think Harmony, she started not very good. I was playing actually very well. Then she came back to the match.

It was up and down. It was a roller coaster match little bit. Of course, it's very sad to see her leaving the court in a wheelchair. It's never, never good to see a player getting injured.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How much confidence do you get when you start well, they come back, but then you're able to get back on top again?

ELINA SVITOLINA: For sure the beginning of the match is very important. I try to focus on few things that I've been working on. It's been working really well.

I felt like she started to play really well, played really good few games. Credit to her, she played actually second set very well. Then I tried to play again the way that I wanted.

It's important just to bounce back from some situations that didn't go your way. I think I did it well in the beginning of the third set.

Q. You've reached at least the quarterfinals of all four of the majors. What do you feel you've had to work on going from quarterfinal, semifinal, to breaking through and winning?

ELINA SVITOLINA: I think it's important to stay calm with your game each match, to try to improve little bit, step by step, try to improve your game in general. You're playing different kind of players who also have confidence, who are playing well. Everyone is hungry to beat you. Lots of tough matches, tough battles.

You need to go through some tough matches to go far in the tournament and to beat really big opponents.

Q. What is the key with Victoria Azarenka?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Played many times. Played doubles with her. Practiced with her also many times. We know each other's game quite well.

For me will be important to bring my best game to the next match, try to work on few tactical things with my coach. For me it's important just to be mentally fresh and to be ready for the big fight.

Q. You and Gael have been together for quite awhile, recently married. What have you noticed is the biggest difference from being partners to being married? Any things that you didn't notice before?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, tennis-wise nothing really change. We are still practicing sometimes together. We are talking about tennis sometimes. Sometimes trying not to talk too much about tennis. I mean, for tennis nothing really changed.

But I think personally it connected us even more. We had amazing wedding in a way that all our families were together. It's very rare for a tennis player to see whole family together because my parents, they in Ukraine. His parents in France, Guadeloupe, Martinique. Everyone is everywhere.

In that day was really special that we saw everyone at one venue. We were super happy with how the event went. Was very special for both of us.

Q. How important do you think it is for your tennis that two players are married to one another and are able to relate to the issues or pluses and minuses that the next person is feeling?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, everyone is different. I think everyone has a different kind of view on this situation.

But for me it's important to have someone who understands what I'm going through. I will have for sure some bad situations where I'm not feeling well off the court, you are struggling with motivation, which is normal for the athletes. You are traveling so much. You're away from home, away from your family.

For me this is sometimes can get complicated. It's very important, the mental part is very important. For me to have Gael next to me at the same big events it's actually also very lucky in our situation that we are both at the top of our sport so we are traveling pretty much the same tournaments.

Yeah, that's really lucky in a way that we found love for each other and we do the same thing. We play tennis. We have same goals. We're just helping each other in the way that we can help each other to reach our best and to reach our goals.

Q. And Gael won a title last week...

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, he's in a good form. He's playing great tennis. I'm really happy to see him happy. That's always been my goal for him (smiling).