Elina Svitolina has reacted after Serena Williams caused rumors to circulate about her return to tennis once again.
Williams retired from tennis at the 2022 US Open, or at least it certainly seemed to be that way.
However, social media was sent into a frenzy last year, after Williams was seen to have re-entered the drug testing pool, which is required if you want to compete in professional tennis.
Williams had originally denied these rumors, but speculation has heightened once again after she failed to deny her comeback in an interview on The Today Show.
Now someone who has competed against Williams multiple times, Elina Svitolina, has revealed what she really thinks about the potential of the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion coming back.
Elina Svitolina reacts to Serena Williams failing to deny returning to tennis
Svitolina beat Coco Gauff to reach the Australian Open semifinals for the first time in her career.
However, it was what happened after the match that got people talking, with Williams actually sending a message to Gauff following her defeat to Svitolina.
Svitolina was subsequently beaten by Aryna Sabalenka, and in her post-match press conference she was asked about the potential of Williams returning.
Despite seemingly being unaware of the conversation around Williams coming back, Svitolina appeared to be very happy about the idea.
“Oh, really? Wow. I didn’t hear that,” responded Svitolina before adding, “Well, I think it would be amazing for the sport, definitely.
“She’s such a great champion and achieved so much, did so much for our sport and been an inspiration for women around the world. So it’s going to be a great story, for sure.”
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What happened when Elina Svitolina played Serena Williams?
Svitolina is a former world number three and has played Williams a total of six times in her career.
The head-to-head is overwhelmingly in the favor of Williams, who has won five of her six previous meetings against Svitolina.
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Svitolina’s only victory over Williams came at the Rio Olympics in 2016, where she beat the American in straight sets.
The last time they played was in Svitolina’s second Grand Slam final at the US Open, which resulted in a very one-sided scoreline in favor of Williams.
| Year | Tournament | Result |
| 2012 | Fed Cup | Williams beat Svitolina, 6-2 6-1 |
| 2015 | Australian Open (R32) | Williams beat Svitolina, 4-6 6-2 6-0 |
| 2015 | Cincinnati Open (SF) | Williams beat Svitolina, 6-4 6-3 |
| 2016 | French Open (R16) | Williams beat Svitolina, 6-1 6-1 |
| 2016 | Rio Olympics (R16) | Svitolina beat Williams, 6-4 6-3 |
| 2019 | US Open (SF) | Williams beat Svitolina, 6-3 6-1 |
It still remains unclear as to whether Williams will actually return to tennis, and if she does in what capacity that will be.
However, what is clear is that Svitolina will return to the top 10 in the WTA rankings after the Australian Open.
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