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February 18- March 2, 2024
Dubai Duty Free tennis stadium
February 23, 2017

Elina Svitolina – Press Conference

2017 Women's Singles Quarterfinals: E. SVITOLINA/L. Davis 6-0, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What are your thoughts on that match?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, I’m really happy the way I played. I analyzed from yesterday a little bit.

I’m really happy the way I started and the way I finished the match, because I was being very aggressive and it worked really good. I think I was calm and positive today. I’m really happy that I won and with the performance.

 

Q. It was a little difficult to get on top of her, wasn’t it, in the second set? Little difficult to get on top of her in the second set?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, I was expecting that she would do something different, because losing 0-6 is always tough. I was expecting her to come back to the game.

So I was trying to stick to my plan and just stay really positive. I knew that there would be some up-and-downs, but I tried to do more, more effort from my side so then I don’t really lose my focus too much.

 

Q. You changed coaches during the offseason. Are you still working with Justine?

ELINA SVITOLINA: No. She’s with family.

 

Q. Yes. So that’s finished, is it?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah.

 

Q. When did it actually finish?

ELINA SVITOLINA: So we had the contract for one year. It ended and she’s with her family now, enjoying her time.

 

Q. After last match, Anastasija said today women’s tennis is very close, everybody can beat everyone. Do you agree?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, I agree, but in men’s tennis also you can see that in Australian Open also men’s tennis — of course, it’s more solid, but in girls, you know, sometimes you have some weird things in the head and it happens that sometimes you are not feeling so great. But still, top 10 is very solid, very solid players.

I don’t think you should think that they are not able to do it consistently, because so many players in top 10 for so many years. So still, I think, top 10, top 5 is very, very consistent players, more consistent than the rest. It’s about consistency.

 

Q. Would you say you’ve got that consistency at the moment?

ELINA SVITOLINA: At the moment, yeah, because as he said, I’m 11 in the world, so it’s not just from nothing (smiling). And I’m not the first year on tour. When the young players are coming up, they have nothing to defend, so that’s why their rank something raising. And then next level, next year when they need to defend, it’s like much tougher.

So, for me, I’m not the first year on tour, so I had already this stage where I needed to defend where this kind of pressure is there. So now it’s very different for me, and for a moment, I don’t want to say too much that I’m too confident, but yeah, I’m pretty — I’m working on it, to be consistent.

 

Q. And you talk about the top players, but you’ve got a very good record against Kerber, haven’t you?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, I had very tough matches against her. It’s always tough.

She’s quite confident player, so it’s always tough to play against top players, because they always fight, fight, fight, and then try to find their game. So this is what makes them good.

 

Q. Yesterday you complained, I think, about pain in your toes. How is it today? Did you recover well?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, as you can see, my team did a good job, and thanks to them (smiling). Yeah, the physioist worked good, and I tried to do everything what was in my power. It worked really good and I’m feeling good.

Of course, it’s semifinal, but I think for everyone is the same, is the same thing. Everyone is a little bit tired after the matches, but it’s quite normal, I think, for an athlete.

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