The tennis world was taken aback when Elina Svitolina revealed last month that she was splitting up with Raemon Sluiter. The two had developed a productive working relationship that was the envy of many on the WTA and ATP Tour.
The Dutchman’s skill to coach was matched only by his empathy and respect for Svitolina as she dealt with reading about Russia’s horrifying attacks on her homeland after its invasion of Ukraine in March 2022.
Under Sluiter’s instruction and supervision, Svitolina bounced back into the top 20 after giving birth and went on to win multiple Grand Slams, notably a stellar 2023 Wimbledon run that saw her advance to the semifinals.
Speaking with a small group of reporters at the US Open on Monday, Svitolina clarified that her choice had nothing to do with Sluiter and everything to do with her own future goals.
She talked about it and said: “We had a good run together. We achieved quite a lot in my comeback, coming back to the top 20. He’s a very nice person, a good coach. It’s just, for me, it was a moment where I wanted to see where I am physically and how I want to move forward, also with the tournaments if I want to play maybe a little bit fewer tournaments because I want to take care of my fitness. It was a mixture of different things. It was a mutual decision. After a good talk, it was the best decision for me to take.”
Svitolina at the U.S. Open, ranking, and results in 2024
WLWLWWLWLW Now ranked no.28, Svitolina has achieved a compiled 29-17 win-loss record in 2024. The Ukrainian is now having a run at the U.S. Open where she beat the world no.83 Maria Lourdes Carle 3-6 6-3 6-4.
Elina Svitolina will compete against the world no.55 Anhelina Kalinina in the 2nd round on Wednesday at 7:00 pm on Stadium 17. Their record is 2-0 for Svitolina.
Elina was the runner-up in Auckland (ASB Classic).
Elina won 17 titles in her career: 9 on hard courts, 6 on clay courts and 2 on indoor courts. (See the list of her titles)
