INDIAN WELLS, CA, USA - Sometimes a change of perspective can make all the difference, and for No.4 seed Elina Svitolina, it turns out that the view away from the tennis courts holds just as many lessons as any other match.
Chatting with press at WTA All-Access Hour at the BNP Paribas Open, the Ukrainian looked upbeat and focused after coming in fresh from back-to-back semifinals at the Qatar Total Open and Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
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“I think it’s been a couple of good tournaments for me,” Svitolina said. “I’ve been looking for it after coming back from injury. Those kind of tournaments definitely help me to see where I am with my game.”
Svitolina was a two-time defending champion in Dubai, going for a historic three-peat at the tournament when her run was cut short by an inspired Belinda Bencic in a three-set heartbreaker. Instead of jetting home, the Ukrainian stayed in Dubai for another week to recover.
“I took a few days off because I was feeling a few pains here and there and I had to recover,” she said. “I had my team there, so we did as much preparation as we could.
“We arrived here on Saturday and had a few days to adjust to the different conditions here and be ready. We’ve been taking it one day at a time.”
During that extra week, Svitolina experienced life on the other side of the net: this time, instead of being the one on court, Svitolina regularly sat in the stands to watch boyfriend Gael Monfils compete in the ATP edition of the Emirati event.
Being a spectator put the sport in a completely different perspective, Svitolina told press.
“I can say it’s much, much tougher than being on court,” the Ukrainian admitted. “You see things differently, and I think for me I learned a lot from those moments when I’m just sitting and watching him.”
She added, “You realize that your coach sees more, you have to listen to him when he says some things that are obvious. But when you play, sometimes you don’t see those kinds of things. Sometimes you’re so into the match that you don’t realize what’s going on.”
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Svitolina will gladly take all of that newfound perspective into the Indian Wells fortnight, where she’s partnered up with two-time champion Victoria Azarenka in doubles and will have to navigate a nightmare draw in singles.
“I always am seeking for something better,” Svitolina said. “I can play better. I know that when physically I’m ready, I can play good and confident.
“For me it’s just a matter of preparation, so I will take every day here and try to improve and be ready because, you know, I have maybe one of the toughest draws. [Wang Yafan and Sofia Kenin] are very confident at the moment - they played a final last week. Yeah it’s not going to be an easy one in second round.”
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Svitolina’s Indian Wells campaign will kick off in the second round against young American Sofia Kenin, who defeated Wang Yafan in rematch of last week’s Acapulco final. This time, Kenin took her revenge to advance 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 and book a clash against Svitolina, for the pair’s first career meeting.
