Elina Svitolina just claimed the Italian Open title for the third time in her career, finding momentum at the perfect time for Roland Garros.
She is now a 20-time champion on the WTA Tour after her title in Rome, where Svitolina beat Gauff 6-4, 6-7(3-7), 6-2 after almost three hours.
It was a fantastic battle between the veteran and youngster Gauff in the final of the Italian Open, which the Ukrainian also won in 2017 and 2018.
This time around, Svitolina also picked up hugely impressive wins over Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek, which she has now discussed.
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Elina Svitolina confirms her plans before Roland Garros
When asked how she beat those rivals and how she resets now and relieves any pressure entering Roland Garros, she told the WTA website: “If you want to be at the highest level, you need to be consistent.
“You have many tournaments, and you need to be at your best at the big tournaments and throughout the year to be high in the rankings and be a great player.
“That’s why I’m proud of the effort, the performance and the form I picked up. I think it was good for me to reset after Madrid.
“I had eight good days of training and a physical block, which was a nice buildup for this tournament and Roland Garros.
“Now I have a couple of days to rest. I’m going home tomorrow, and I’m going to have a couple of days to completely forget about tennis and just be a mom and enjoy my time with my family.”
Elina Svitolina rates Ukrainian tennis after Italian Open title
She will now enjoy a well-earned rest with her family, but the hard work will undoubtedly soon continue for Roland Garros.
It’s clear that Rome champion Svitolina is a dark horse for the French Open title, with the same able to be argued for her compatriot and Madrid winner Marta Kostyuk.
Rating Ukrainian tennis right now after such WTA 1000 victories, Svitolina said: “I think it’s at a high. Having seven Top 100 players is great motivation for the upcoming generation.
“It’s a great example that when you work hard and dream big, you can make it happen. So it’s great for us, for Ukrainian tennis, and I’m very happy with that.
“The girls in the Top 100 right now are younger than me, so I’m happy I still have something to show and can win titles.”
It is truly a superb time for Ukrainian tennis fans, who will now be eager to see the likes of Svitolina and Kostyuk enjoy lengthy runs at Roland Garros.
How would you now rate Aryna Sabalenka’s chances of winning the French Open on a scale of 1-10?
Italian Open runner-up Gauff is the defending champion at the clay-court Grand Slam, and will also likely be in contention once again thanks to her current form.
But Aryna Sabalenka has been backed to win the French Open, with the WTA number one undoubtedly eager to get back to winning ways after losing her second match in Rome.
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