Last month, Ukrainian tennis ace Elina Svitolina made her long-awaited comeback to professional tennis following several months on the sidelines. Svitolina, who became a proud mother last October, set foot on the tennis court for the first time in months at the Charleston Open. Unsurprisingly, she appeared quite rusty. However, since her return, she has gone from strength to strength across her seven tournament appearances. At Saint-Malo’s WTA 125 tournament, she reached the semifinals. Unfortunately, she couldn’t reach the final as American Sloane Stephens got the better of her and eventually won the tournament.

However, Svitolina has finally won the Internationaux de Strasbourg, and all eyes are on the former World No. 3 to climb back to the top of the WTA Tour rankings. Svitolina’s return to winning ways serves as a reminder of Serena Williams‘ struggles and eventual success following the birth of her daughter Olympia in 2017.

Elina Svitolina reclaims Strasbourg crown after three years

In 2020, Svitolina won the Internationaux de Strasbourg in stunning fashion. At the time, the tennis world regarded Svitolina as one of the most promising players on the WTA Tour. However, owing to her pregnancy in 2022, her professional career was derailed for some time. Her WTA Tour ranking plummeted as well. Going into the 2023 edition of the Strasbourg tournament, Svitolina’s ranking was a lowly World No. 508.

However, following her title win against Anna Blinkova, she will be hoping to climb up the rankings. Blinkova didn’t stand a chance in front of a resurgent Svitolina, who cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 win. In her post-match speech, Svitolina said, “It was a great week for me, I’m really happy with my tennis, especially coming back after welcoming our daughter”. She got quite emotional and added, “It’s really, really special for us.”

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Elina Svitolina Receives a Special Honor in Ukraine Following Her Recent Success

In a special gesture, she also announced that she would donate her prize money for helping Ukraine in its recovery from its devastating war with Russia. Svitolina said, “All my prize money from this tournament is going to go to the kids in Ukraine, which is much needed in this tough moment.”

Serena Williams took much longer to win a title following her return to tennis after Olympia’s birth

In 2017, Serena Williams took a break from tennis as she was pregnant with her first child with her husband Alexis Ohanian. Childbirth proved problematic for Williams, as she experienced multiple life-threatening complications after giving birth to Olympia. However, Williams, being the fighter she is, survived and in a matter of months, was back playing tennis.

However, Williams’ problematic childbirth took a massive toll on her body, and she took years to get back to her best. Finally, in 2020, Williams won her first WTA Tour title since becoming a mother. It came in Auckland, New Zealand, as she defeated Jessica Pegula in the final of the ASB Classic.

Watch This Story: Elina Svitolina Takes a Leaf Out of Inspirational Serena Williams’ Book to Offer Handling Physique