Can she stay strong at Wimbledon?

As the grass court season at Wimbledon reaches its peak, there was one name that reverberated around the courts last year: Elina Svitolina, but it’s still one that has flown under the radar this season. The Ukrainian may not have won a Grand Slam title, but she certainly made her mark.

Elina Svitolina’s Wimbledon career

2019 run

One of her most memorable runs at the All-England Club came in 2019. She came to the grass courts after a difficult start to the season, plagued by a knee injury after Indian Wells. Perhaps one of the No. 8 seed’s most striking performances was the courage she showed against Maria Sakkari. In a match that lasted over two hours, the pair gave it their all on the court in a three-set thriller. Sakkari started strongly, leading the set 3-1 before Svitolina took control, formidably coming back and winning five games to take the first set. In the second set, Sakkari fought fire with fire to level the set at 5-5 and then take the set. Svitolina saved break point after break point and stormed to win the deciding set 6-2.

She later defeated Czech player Karolína Muchová in three sets, but eventually lost in the semi-finals to Simona Halep.

2023 run

In 2021, Elina Svitolina only reached the second round, but in 2023, when she returned from her maternity leave, her strong comeback was one to behold. After entering as a wildcard, she faced Venus Williams in the opener. The then 43-year-old had started the match strongly, but during the third game of the first set she fell hard and injured her right knee. The American had fought back, but finished the match with a heavy limp.

A memorable match from her series came when she faced Belarusian Victoria Azarenka in the round of 16. Azarenka had won all five previous encounters and had started the match strongly with a 6-2 lead. In the second set, however, she fought back from two points down with her powerful inside-out forehand to take the set. The final set was no easier, with the power shifting from Ukrainian to Belarusian and back again, and had to be decided by a super tiebreaker. The pendulum swung back and forth, but at 9-9 Svitolina managed to force a forehand drop shot to create her first match point and then closed the match with an ace.

She also shockingly knocked out world No. 1 Iga Świątek, whom she edged to reach the semi-finals. She could have decided the match in straight sets, but could not hold off Świątek, who hit four winners to take the second set. Svitolina quickly came back to take the final set, winning the match 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2.

Her brilliant run was ended by Markéta Vondroušová, who gave it her all to defeat the Ukrainian. Vondroušová’s tendency to rush to the net to score points and her rolling forehands were no match for Svitolina, resulting in her defeat. Regardless, the Ukrainian had made her mark on the tournament, her comeback moving into the Top 30 of the rankings.

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Can she achieve a similar feat in 2024?

Svitolina started the year strongly in Auckland, where she reached the final against Coco Gauff. Her aggressive baseline play made it a remarkably difficult task for Gauff to claim victory in a three-set thriller. However, she has not reached the final of a tournament since then. She has played a number of clinical matches this season, beating home hero Diane Parry at Roland Garros. She reached the fourth round of the French tournament, but was knocked out by world number four Elena Rybakina, who struggled to

Her first run on grass at the Bad Homburg Open came to an end in the Round of 32 when she faced Caroline Wozniacki. The Dane won the first set while Svitolina struggled to find her feet, losing with nine unforced errors to just four winners. The Ukrainian led the second set, but Wozniacki recovered to force a tiebreaker and level the match at 1-4. After sudden death gave her a 4-2 lead, Svitolina reached set point with a magnificent volley and quickly made a blistering forehand putaway to secure the victory. As the pair entered the deciding set, slippery conditions forced the match to be postponed. Wozniacki won the final set and went on to win the match.

Her back injury earlier this year can be attributed to her inconsistency since Auckland. However, her forehand is still a force to be reckoned with and her track record at Wimbledon makes her one to watch. Svitolina is not a player to be underestimated. The world No. 21 has made a great comeback and her penchant for aggressive baseline play makes her a strong contender to make a deep run at the All-England Club.

Elina Svitolina will face Magda Linette in the first round on Tuesday.

Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports