Had it not been for a bout of childhood jealously, Elina Svitolina might never have become the most successful tennis player to emerge out of Ukraine or be tipped as one of the favourites for this year’s French Open title.
Desperate to grab some of the attention her parents Mikhaylo and Olena showered on her older brother Yulian, in 1999 Svitolina began pounding furry tennis balls with all the power she could muster from her five-year-old body.
“My brother was playing tennis and he was getting all the attention from my parents. So because of him I started playing tennis and for me it was very important to play well so that I could get more attention from my parents,” Svitolina said.
“They were so into tennis, they were travelling with my brother. So playing tennis myself was the only way I could get their attention.
“It really motivated me and I became the best in my group.”
Almost two decades on, the 23-year-old isn’t far off from becoming the world’s best.
Now world No.4, Svitolina has been installed among the favourites to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup after destroying top-ranked Simona Halep in the Italian Open final to win her 12th career title.
But having bagged more tennis trophies than any Ukrainian – Andriy Medvedev held the previous record of 11 – what Svitolina really wants is to conquer the top ranking.
“Definitely for me, my goal is to be No.1,” she said.
“In Ukraine, being No.1 is something bigger (than winning a grand slam) because lots of people (notice you) if you are No.1 in the world.
“For the tennis world, winning a grand slam might be better but for people who do not know tennis, being No.1 gets more attention.”
The little girl who once harboured hopes of getting a little more attention from her parents will have no place to hide over the next fortnight as she takes centre stage at Roland Garros.
Svitolina will not only want to improve on her two quarter-final appearances but also hope to emulate a feat last achieved by one of her former coaches, Justine Henin.
A junior champion in 1997, the Belgian went on to win four French Open titles from 2003 to 2007.
Svitolina hopes some of the lessons she learnt from Henin during their year-long association in 2016 will help her to become the first woman since her former mentor to achieve the junior and women’s title double.
“There were small details that she told me that I have to do on court and off court. She shared a lot of her experience with me,” Svitolina, who captured the junior title aged 15 in 2010, said.
“It was more about how she sees my game, what I have to improve to play more consistently and be stronger.
“We have different playing styles so I just took on board what suited me and it helped me a lot.”
