"I'm really in pain, even walking, I cannot move side-to-side" - Elina Svitolina on shock mid-match withdrawal in Australian Open 4R

Elina Svitolina has said that she's in a lot of pain following her mid-match withdrawal due to injury in her Australian Open fourth-round loss to Linda Noskova on Monday (22 January).

The Czech teenager led by three games in the opening set when the 19th-seeded Svitolina called it quits. The Ukrainian had taken a medical timeout at 2-0 down. She returned to court and lost another game before retiring.

The loss denied Svitolina the chance to join compatriots Marta Kostyuk and Dayana Yastremska in the Melbourne quarterfinals. In her post-match press conference, a disappointed Svitolina explained that she locked her back following a spasm:

"I got a spasm. I don't know exactly what it is, but like shooting pain in the first game, the last two points, couldn't do anything. Completely locked my back. Just very sad. It really locked. My low back completely locked. So, yeah, I'm really in pain even walking, turning. I cannot move side-to-side. Yeah, very strange.

"I think I never had that before, the shooting pain like this. I had some injuries to my back before where it just was tiredness the next day of the match, but this one was really out of nowhere. I felt like someone shot me in the back, so yeah (it's disappointing)."

Meanwhile, Noskova moves on to a maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal against another Ukrainian, Yastremska, on Tuesday (23 January) while Svitolina wonders what could have been.

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"I don't want to look this as a missed opportunity" - Elina Svitolina happy with her form since comeback

Elina Svitolina retired from her match against Linda Noskova at the Australian Open 2024.

Elina Svitolina is happy with her form since returning to action eight months ago after becoming a mother.

The Ukrainian is set to return to the top 20 in the WTA rankings after making the second week at Melbourne Park. She was playing for the first time since a stress fracture in her ankle following last year's US Open. Earlier this season, she made the Auckland final, losing to Coco Gauff in three sets.

Following the early exits of many top seeds, including World No. 1 Iga Swiatek (lost to Noskova), in the opening week in Melbourne, Svitolina, though, doesn't think that she squandered a golden opportunity to win a Grand Slam. She said in her aforementioned press conference:

"I cannot say that this was like an open draw in a way. Also, if you take other players, they are meant to be there. You have also in the other side of the draw very strong players who won slams and played really consistent throughout the year last year.

"So I don't want to look this as a missed opportunity, especially right now when it was not about my tennis today. It was just my body just shut down, unfortunately."

Elina Svitolina returned to action last year after the birth of her daughter, Skai, with ATP veteran Gael Monfils in 2022.