Elina Svitolina aims return to top: I'm strong as I was before, maybe even stronger

• Tennis News
• WTA Tennis

Elina Svitolina feels she might be even stronger now as she continues to steadily rediscover her best tennis. Svitolina, 28, gave birth last October and she was out for 13 months before returning to action in April. After winning her first title as a mother last week in Strasbourg, former world No 3 Svitolina also started her French Open campaign with a 6-2 6-2 win over Martina Trevisan.

Trevisan was a French Open semifinalist last year. "Right now I'm just gaining points and coming back to the level, coming back to the tour. So everything is kind of old and new for me right now. Just want to enjoy each opportunity at each tournament that I get.

Just play good tennis. Try to enjoy out there, and then, you know, see how it goes," Svitolina said, via the WTA website.

Svitolina: I'm maybe even stronger now

"I feel like I'm as strong as I was before, maybe even stronger, because I feel that I can handle the work that I do off the court, and match by match I'm getting better.

The puzzles are getting slowly into place. We can see the result, that I'm playing well, and most importantly I'm happy with the level that I show right now. That's what I want to build on," Svitolina added. When Svitolina returned to tennis in April, she said there were still goals that she wanted to achieve before retiring.

Before pregnancy, Svitolina was considered among the best players in the game. Two months into her tennis comeback, Svitolina is proving that she still has the game and that she will likely again contend for the biggest titles.

In the past, Svitolina made two Grand Slam semifinals and achieved a career-high ranking of No 3 in the world. It remains to be seen if Svitolina can win a Major before retiring from tennis.