Elina Svitolina Puts Mental Health First at the Australian Open

In the highly competitive world of professional tennis, it is refreshing to learn that Elina Svitolina has her priorities in order. Married to former top 10 player Gaël Monfils and a mother to three-year-old daughter Skaï, family comes first for the Ukrainian. But mental health is also important to Svitolina, which is why she decided to end her 2025 season early. Svitolina, a former world number three, took a break from the tour following Ukraine's loss to Italy in the Billie Jean King Cup semifinals last September. "I haven't been feeling like myself lately," Svitolina wrote on Instagram at the time. "I'm not in the right emotional space, and I don't feel ready to play, so I am therefore ending the season here. "Over the years, I've learned that this sport isn't about money, fame, or rankings — it's about being ready to fight and to give your all. "Right now, I'm simply not at the level mentally or emotionally to do that." Svitolina made her playing return in Auckland earlier this month, winning the WTA event only a week out from the Australian Open. Ranked 12th in the world, the 31-year-old's Melbourne Park campaign is travelling smoothly, with consecutive straight-sets victories in the opening two rounds. After defeating Polish qualifier Linda Klimovičová 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday, Svitolina emphasised that maintaining her mental health was a higher priority than on-court results. "It was important to just step back (last year)," said Svitolina when she addressed her post-match media conference. "Of course, I was sad that I didn't give myself a chance to maybe qualify for the WTA Finals or maybe get back in [the] top 10, but this was the right choice that I made. "I can see now that I'm more refreshed. I'm ready to face difficult situations in the matches … when I face a difficult situation, I'm ready to accept that sometimes things are not going your way." Svitolina admitted that had she not taken the break last year, she might not have contested the Australian Open. "If I would [have] push myself to finish the year, really force myself, I don't think I would start the season even playing in Australia, because I would be really dead mentally," Svitolina said. "Physically, I'm not even sure that it would be a good option for me, because I might get injured in this kind of mental state." Svitolina will play 23rd seed Diana Shnaider in the third round.