World No. 5 Elina Svitolina has enjoyed a hugely positive 2020, claiming two WTA singles titles and racking up over $600,000 in prize money. The Ukrainian was victorious in Monterrey, outlasting Marie Bouzkova in an energy-sapping three-hour battle at the beginning of March to claim her first success of the season. The 26-year old now has 15 career titles to her name and is also closing in on 400 career victories. She has shown a remarkable level of consistency since reaching her first professional singles final over a decade ago, however, Grand Slam success continues to elude her.
Since the beginning of 2017, there have been 12 different Grand Slam winners, with Serena Williams, Simona Halep and the now-retired Caroline Wozniacki all having triumphed at one of the four key events on the calendar. However, there have also been a number of newcomers who have unexpectedly seen off a competitive field with Jelena Ostapenko, Bianca Andreescu, Sofia Kenin and more recently, Iga Swiatek all having upset the odds in recent seasons. However, Svitolina’s name is yet to be added to this exclusive list, and she will be desperately hoping that 2021 is the year that she is finally able to end that barren run.
The former world number two enjoyed a fruitful 2019, with back-to-back semi-final appearances at Wimbledon and the US Open. She also made it through to the last eight at the Australian Open, and now has five quarter-final appearances to her name. She has a 68% win record in Melbourne and is priced up at 16/1 in the latest tennis betting to finally lift the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup in January. Having skipped the 2020 US Open, she’ll be keen to make up for lost time at the first Slam of the season, and she’ll be desperately hoping for a favourable draw this time around.
Outside of Slams, Svitolina’s most notable performance came at the end of 2018, with the talented right-hander beating the much-fancied Sloane Stephens in three sets at the WTA Finals in Singapore.
The 26-year old has the tools to succeed at the highest level and is noted for her consistent groundstrokes. She has a strong backhand, and although her game isn’t based on power, it’s her movement and accuracy which have served her well on the WTA tour. In 2020, she’s won over 69% of her service games, and as of October 20th, she has fired in 68 aces. Her ability to perform on all surfaces also makes her a contender at each of the four calendar Slams, although despite reaching the semi-finals at SW19 last season, her performances on grass over the last three years have been largely underwhelming.
The Ukrainian has been working with long-term coach Andrew Bettles and the pair will already be putting plans in place for 2021. She is likely to face plenty of competition at the marquee events, with three-time major champion Naomi Osaka likely to dominate on the hard courts. Home favourite Ashleigh Barty will be expected to challenge at the Australian Open, whilst Simona Halep, Garbine Muguruza and Petra Kvitova should still have plenty left in the tank. With a number of younger players starting to break through, Svitolina cannot afford to take her eye off the ball, and next season is likely to be her best opportunity to claim that long-awaited maiden Grand Slam success.
