Elina Svitolina turns to psychologist to help her cope with Ukraine horror

• Tennis News
• Tennis Stories

Elina Svitolina reveals she is working with a psychologist as the Ukrainian admits the past 15 months have been extremely difficult. In February, Svitolina returned to Ukraine for the first time since the start of the Russian invasion.

On the one hand, Svitolina was happy that she was able to return to her country and visit some of her family members. But also, Svitolina was devastated after witnessing in person the horror Ukraine has been going through.

“I work with a mental psychologist. It’s tough for me with the war going on. After I went to Ukraine in February, I had to reset myself. It was extremely tough. When I feel I need help, I work for some time & then let it go again, to leave on my terms," Svitolina said in Saint-Malo, per The Tennis Letter.

Elina Svitolina: “I work with a mental psychologist. It’s tough for me with the war going on. After I went to Ukraine in February, I had to reset myself. It was extremely tough. When I feel I need help, I work for some time & then let it go again, to leave on my terms” pic.twitter.com/9gD5PguTYG — The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 5, 2023

Svitolina recently returned to action

After being out for 13 months and giving birth in October, Svitolina returned to action in early February in Charleston.

This week, Svitolina is competing at an ITF event in Saint Malo - which is her fifth tournament since returning. Svitolina, who is now a mother and will be turning 29 in September, last month admitted she is unsure for how long she will play tennis.

However, Svitolina also underlined there are still goals she wants to achieve before concluding her tennis career. "I would like to spend all my time with Skai and share every moment with her, but I decided to return to competition and focus on my tennis.

I don't know how many more seasons I will play, but there are some milestones I would like to achieve before retiring," Svitolina said. Most notably, Svitolina would like to become a Grand Slam champion and reach the world No 1. It remains to be seen if Svitolina can win a Grand Slam before she retires.