THE CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 10, 2024

Elina Svitolina

Press Conference

E. RYBAKINA/E. Svitolina

6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Elina, tough day today. Give us your thoughts on that match.

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, it was extremely tough today. Well, I tried everything what was in my power today. Nothing really was working so much. But, yeah, she was striking the ball well.

Yeah, I think also didn't really let me into the match.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. It seemed like it was very competitive until 4-3 on your serve. How do you feel the match shifted?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, of course, it was quite tough first seven games. It was few chances for me here and there to get into the match. Of course, break first game. Then I didn't serve so well.

But Elena, she's a big striker. She's not letting you so much into the match, as well. So, yeah, for me was missed chances for me a little bit at the beginning of that first set. Then she start serving much better, start to strike the ball really well.

The game that she broke me in the first set, she hit like four great returns, even though I served first serve. Yeah, was tough for me to do anything on those balls. She just played really well that game.

Then she has a big serve, so sometimes it goes like this - especially on grass.

Q. How demoralizing is that, try to stay positive when she's playing so efficiently, serving really well and returning like that?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, it's very, very difficult because I feel like I'm in a good form. I feel like I played really good tennis. Of course, when the opponent is striking the ball that big, everything goes in. Serve goes really quick. Lots of aces. It's tough to do anything.

I was trying to dig, trying to fight, trying to get my chances back, but she didn't really let me. So I think it was really clean match from her side, yeah.

Q. I wonder what was it like to have the Queen there in the Royal Box watching, given the fact that our royal family is so supportive of Volodymyr Zelenskyy in your country?

ELINA SVITOLINA: To be fair, I didn't know. Yes, it's very sad for me because I couldn't win this match today in front of her. But of course, it's such a big privilege to play Wimbledon in front of the Queen, even though I didn't know.

Yeah, the support that Ukraine been getting from United Kingdom been really unbelievable. We couldn't thank enough for all the people, as well, that let a lot of Ukrainians use their homes, share their homes with them.

Of course, it's something bigger than sport. Yeah, unbelievable support that all the Ukrainians got from England.

Q. You obviously played a really high level over the last two weeks. Monday was a really emotional day. How has it been to prepare for this match given what happened in Ukraine on Monday?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, for me of course was difficult day on Monday, but then I had the day off yesterday. Had a good practice, as well. Tried to prepare my very best. Actually was feeling not too bad. Physically as well I could recover.

Yeah, as I said, today match went really, really quick. Sometimes it's these kind of days where you're not playing your best, your opponent is playing great, and you don't have so many chances. I had maybe one or two chances maybe to get back into the match, but they were just, yeah, so few of them, and I didn't take them.

So, yeah, it was difficult day in the office today.

Q. You talked in Rome about how physically difficult the season has been. After good results at Roland Garros and here, how are you feeling, how that's developed physically?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, so after Roland Garros, I did some manipulation for my back. It's much better now. I'm feeling much better. Like physically I can handle few matches in a row. Even here with the rain delays, I had a couple of days where I had to play back to back. I was really happy the way that my body responded.

Really looking forward to the second part of the season. Now that I feel healthy, I can practice longer than one hour a day. I feel good with my movement. Also with my serve, I feel like I improved quite a lot.

Yeah, just try to do all the routine work for my back. For my ankle, as well. Try to take some days off after the good run that I had here, reset and go.

Olympics on clay, then Toronto on hard, then long season still ahead of us. I have to take care of my body, just try to take every moment to reset again and go.

Q. On Elena, you've played many great servers, like Serena and others. Where does she rank in terms of serving?

ELINA SVITOLINA: For sure top five. It's a great serve that she has. I feel like Serena, as well, was unbelievable server.

I think Elena is someone that also returns quite good, especially on grass. I mean, grass is such a difficult surface already to return. Then when you have someone who hits the spots good, it's extremely difficult.

Q. You've been a great advocate for Ukraine this week. We have a new government, a new prime minister in the UK at the moment. Is there anything you would say to him about the UK support for Ukraine and its forces?

ELINA SVITOLINA: I hope he's aware with the help we got before, from the government before. I hope this will continue because it's really, really important for us. Every day is not getting easy. It's not getting easier, it's getting really tougher and tougher for us. Hopefully the support will continue.

I feel like we got unbelievable support before, and I hope this will continue really because it's super important for us.