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Elina Svitolina has received a wildcard for the 2023 Madrid Open. The Ukrainian tennis star is currently in the early stages of her return from maternity leave, having recently made her comeback at the 2023 Charleston Open.
After Charleston, Svitolina suffered an early exit at the ITF Switzerland 01A, where she was defeated in the second round by Alexandra Cadantu-Ignatik. She was next seen at the ITF Portugal 04A, a W100 event in Oeiras.
On Wednesday, April 19, she faced Clara Tauson in the first round, marking the first time the two had met on the court. Unfortunately, the Ukrainian was unable to secure a victory and was defeated by the Dane 2-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4.
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Aiming to put these losses behind her, Elina Svitolina will make her return to Madrid for the first time since 2021. She recently took to social media to express her excitement at receiving a wildcard and also expressed her gratitude for the opportunity.
"Thank you 🙏🏼 can't wait @mutuamadridopen ❤️," Svitolina captioned her Instagram story.
Elina Svitolina hints at early retirement to look after her daughter Skai Monfils
Elina Svitolina and her husband Gael Monfils got married in 2021. About 14 months later, in October 2022, they welcomed their daughter, Skai Monfils, into the world.
Svitolina has suggested that she may retire from professional tennis sooner than anticipated to prioritize the care of her daughter.
The former World No. 3 is currently striving to find the perfect equilibrium between her role as a parent and a professional tennis player. In a recent interview with Punto de Break, Svitolina expressed her desire to devote "all" of her time to Skai.
"I would like to spend all my time with Skai and share every moment with her," Svitolina said. "But I decided to return to competition and focus on my tennis. I don't know how many more seasons I will play."
She does, however, have a set of fixed goals that she aspires to accomplish before hanging up her racket.
"There are some milestones I would like to achieve before retiring. In the near future I am clear about my plans in the term," she said.
"I will play an ITF tournament in Oeiras, Portugal, then I will rest for a week and then I will play a WTA 125 in Saint-Malo. In May I will use the protected ranking to play the WTA 1000 in Rome, then Strasbourg and finally Roland Garros."
