via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 21, 2022 Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina reacts during her third round match against Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka REUTERS/Morgan Sette
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia – January 21, 2022 Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina reacts during her third round match against Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka REUTERS/Morgan Sette
Elina Svitolina, a strong-minded Tennis mom, has done the unthinkable in AO 2024. While everyone in the tennis world thinks that taking care of offspring can slow down an athlete, the Ukrainian is currently kicking out the stereotypes. As she traveled a long way to Melbourne, the love for her daughter Skai compelled the WTA star to bring her along.
Although Svitolina has been able to maintain a visible balance between her personal and professional life, this trip had its own share of challenges. After gaining her first victory at the Australian Open, Svitolina revealed the difficulties faced after making a touch choice of love over distance.
‘It was not easy’ – Svitolina reveals the difficulties of bringing her daughter
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Tennis star Elina Svitolina started her Australian Open victory with a massive Day 1 win against the American Taylah Preston. After securing the victory, the 29-year-old opened up about the hurdles she faced while bringing her one-year-and-four-month-old daughter, Skai, to the Australian tournament. “It was a long trip all the way from Europe, first New Zealand and now here,” she stated.
Elina Svitolina says she’s happy her daughter is with her & Gael Monfils at Australian Open:
“Skaï is here with us. It was a long trip all the way from Europe, first New Zealand & now here. I'm happy that I brought her with me. I had some trips without her, like Wimbledon, for… pic.twitter.com/wEl4GIZ0zE
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 15, 2024
The Ukrainian tennis star highlighted the difficulties faced just before the journey, saying, “Even though it was not easy for us because she got very sick the day before we left, so we had to push back the flight.” Svitolina discussed the challenges of balancing professional tennis with the needs of her young child.
ALSO READ: Elina Svitolina Slumps in WTA Rankings, Out of Top 10 for the First Time Since 2017
The tennis star acknowledged the emotions behind how it feels staying away from Skai, sharing, “When you are leaving for a very long time, it’s difficult I think mentally.” However, she coped with all the sad feelings by mentioning the fact that there is a plus and a minus to every situation.
Victoria Azarenka praises WTA stars for breaking the tennis mom stereotypes
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
As players like Elina Svitolina are hitting the top marks even going through the process of being a mother, Victoria Azarenka couldn’t stop herself from praising them. Back in Brisbane, Vika came forward to cheer the WTA stars who have made comebacks after this phase along with setting a motivational mark for the ones looking forward to.
Victoria Azarenka says the stereotype that athletes can’t come back after becoming moms has been broken, but there’s still work to do:
Vika: “I'm very excited to see players are coming back. I've said it few years ago already. I think we broke the stereotype that you become an… pic.twitter.com/NOnDWEA53i
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) December 30, 2023
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“I’m very excited to see players are coming back. I’ve said it a few years ago already. I think we broke the stereotype that you become an athlete and have family. This definitely has been broken. It’s actually evolved more and more,” she mentioned. As Svitolina moves ahead to her upcoming rounds along with enjoying the Australian vibes with her daughter Skai, it still remains to be seen how far she goes.
Watch this story: The Journey of Roger Federer to the Elite Billionaire’s Club
