In elite sport, for every competitor the quest is the same: to identify the infinitesimal margins where improvement is possible – whether technical or mental – and wring out every ounce of potential to create a gain.
At Wimbledon 2023, Elina Svitolina finds her tennis mindset both expanded and sharpened in ways she could not have planned.
Less than nine months after the birth of her first child with her husband, France’s former world No.6 Gael Monfils, Svitolina has equalled her career best achievements at Roland-Garros and Wimbledon by reaching the quarter- and semi-finals respectively.
It can’t be repeated too many times that in April, when the former world No.3 returned to the Tour six months after the arrival of baby Skai, she was ranked 1,344.
She won the Strasbourg title in May as the world No. 540; in June she reached the last eight at Roland-Garros; and here she is in July, through to the Wimbledon semi-final and assured of a place in the top 30 when the new rankings are released next Monday.
Even more extraordinary possibilities lie ahead of her.
In terms of performance, there is plenty of evidence across different sports to suggest competitors who have given birth come back stronger. At 28, Svitolina is at the perfect stage to explore the boundaries of such theories.
But it is her mental approach which appears so enriched.
Many new mothers speak of the astonishing amplification in their world on the birth of a child – perspective is realigned, priorities instantly redefined. For an elite player, there can be an ironic liberation in that.
Where all her focus was intensely introverted on her own performance, punishingly analysing every element in granular detail, now something else is wonderfully more important.
Yet her competitive instinct, honed over a lifetime’s dedication, not only remains intact but seems actually to have benefited, tilting on a new axis of freedom to create an unforeseen summer of possibility.
And of course, Svitolina is further and uniquely fuelled now by a factor no one would wish for.
Events in Ukraine have sparked in her a sense of duty, to leaven the unbearable for her compatriots. Miles from home, hers is a different fight but in the same cause – at times, depending on who is on the other side of the net, very specifically so.
This sense of mission is one she feels profoundly and takes very seriously. And there is no doubt that she is, in the popular phrase, feeling the love. Crowds everywhere, most especially at the All England Club, are letting her know where their own support lies.
Svitolina has certainly earned the acclaim here. Can any player competing for any trophy this Fortnight have been handed a more challenging draw?
All five of the opponents she has defeated so far have previously captured Grand Slam titles – Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka, Iga Swiatek, and yes, even Elise Mertens is a three-time winner in doubles.
Now, on Thursday, Marketa Vondrousova bars her way to the final.
Runner-up at Roland-Garros four years ago, the Czech left-hander (those Slavic southpaws do so well here) has herself seen off four seeds so far, having previously amassed a career total of one win on the SW19 lawns.
No one reaches a Wimbledon semi-final by accident. Vondrousova is a worthy opponent. But there is little doubt who the crowd will be urging on.
On Sunday, Elina Monfils – as her bio has it on both Twitter and Instagram – and her husband will celebrate their second wedding anniversary. Whether Saturday brings her a golden memento of this Fortnight remains to be seen.
Just don’t call her achievements here a fairytale. Such storybook fables hinge on a happy ending. The weekend may bring great joy to Svitolina and Ukraine, but there is no telling when her patriotic mission may be mercifully concluded.
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