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Elina Svitolina has hired Raemon Sluiter to be her new coach, per Redactie Telesport. Coach Sluiter is a familiar face on the WTA Tour, having worked in the past with former world No 4 Kiki Bertens.
Svitolina, 28, hasn't played since last year's March.Some tennis news, @raemonsluiter, the former coach of the retired Dutch pro Kiki Bertens, is the new coach of Ukraine's @ElinaSvitolina: https://t.co/zZKG6aXef0 — Danielle Rossingh (@DRossingh) March 14, 2023
Svitolina, who gave birth in October, has returned to training and she is expected to return to action at some point during the 2023 season. Last month, Svitolina said that she wasn't rushing with her comeback. "Right now I'm taking one day at a time, getting stronger, training hard and looking forward to getting back on court," Svitolina told Reuters last month.
Svitolina to return during the upcoming clay season?
During a recent interaction with fans on Instagram, Svitolina was asked when she was planning to play again. In her answer, Svitolina posted a picture of her practicing on a clay court - which was an indication that she's targeting to return during the clay season.
Meanwhile, Svitolina needed and took a break from tennis. Last year was extremely challenging for Svitolina, who didn't hide that she was extremely hurt after Russia invaded Ukraine. The unfortunate situation in Ukraine was impacting Svitolina's play, who lost her openers in Indian Wells and Miami last year.
After the 2022 Sunshine Double, Svitolina announced an indefinite break from tennis and in May she announced her pregnancy. At the start of this year, Svitolina said that she definitely needed a break from tennis. “I didn’t touch a racket for seven months.
I wanted to switch off from tennis. I had maybe too much because of what happened in the end of February and all the nerves and all the pressure. The tournaments I played were probably too much for me mentally, so I was really happy to switch off completely.
Right now, for me the goal is to come back, but I’m sure I won’t regret that I took this time off," Svitolina said in mid-January.