Australian Open 2025: 25 favorites to watch out for | No. 20, Women's Singles

Elina Svitolina’s 2024 Australian Open run ended in a retirement. Unfortunately for her, that was the theme for a large part of her season.

The Ukrainian’s comeback from maternity leave saw her surge to a French Open quarterfinal and Wimbledon semifinal in 2023. She was well on her way back to the top of the game but injuries have derailed her progress.

Svitolina had dropped only 13 games in her three matches at the Australian Open before running into Linda Noskova in the fourth round. She was just one win away from matching her best showing at the season’s opening Grand Slam but was forced out due to a back injury.

That was not the only injury that bothered her over the course of the 2024 season, which ended early for her after she underwent surgery for a foot injury. She has not played a competitive match since the US Open.

There were, however, plenty of sparks suggesting a return to form. In New York too, she took defending champion Coco Gauff to three sets before running out of gas.

Svitolina has had a few months to rest and recover now and will be gearing up to start afresh in 2025.

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Elina Svitolina will have her eyes set on breaking the quarterfinal wall at Australian Open

Elina Svitolina was forced out of the 2024 Australian Open with a back injury. (Source: Getty)

Now let’s talk some numbers. The Australian Open is one of two Grand Slams where Elina Svitolina has not progressed past the quarterfinals stage. And yet, it has been one of her more consistent tournaments.

A win-loss of 25-11 translates to two quarterfinals and only two occasions when she has not won at least two matches at the venue. More often than not, especially in recent years, her runs have come to an end at the hands of big-hitters.

Garbine Muguruza cut short her run in 2020 and she could manage only two games when pitted against Victoria Azarenka in the 2022 third-round. A little help from the draw then would definitely be appreciated.

Svitolina’s brand of counterpunching tennis is obviously better suited for the slower clay, but her success has transcended that. With years of experience and grind under her belt, she has mastered the grasscourts of Wimbledon and the quick hardcourts of the US Open (making the semifinals at both events for her best Grand Slam performances).

When playing at her best, Svitolina can push opponents onto the backfoot with her groundstrokes — especially off that backhand. And that’s without mentioning her unreal footspeed and stubbornness to chase down each ball.

Rested and ready, she can be a threat on any surface. Her eagerness to end the season early in a bid to address injuries shows her belief that she has more to give in terms of her tennis. The start-stop 2024 season, in fact, would have only fueled her hunger to get back to winning ways. And what better place to do it at if not the season's opening Slam.