"Comeback Queen" Svitolina gives commitment for Linz

She is an absolute crowd favourite on the WTA Tour, is already among the top 3 in the world rankings and was recently named "Comeback Player of the Year 2023": Ukrainian superstar Elina Svitolina will be serving at Upper Austria Ladies Linz this year! "I was delighted to hear the news that Linz has been given a 500 upgrade. The event really deserves it. It's a legendary European indoor tournament with a great tradition, a great crowd and a real feel-good atmosphere," says the 29-year-old. She is taking part in the Linz women's tennis classic for the second time in her career: "I last served here in 2013 - so it was finally time for me to return!"

The 33rd Upper Austria Ladies Linz will take place from 28 January to 4 February at the Design Center Linz in the WTA 500 category for the first time. The entry list is headed by Wimbledon winner and world number seven Marketa Vondrousova (Czech Republic). Tickets are available via the Online ticket shop and at all Ö-Ticket advance booking offices.

Svitolina has already won 17 WTA titles and earned almost 23 million US dollars in prize money

Svitolina returned to the WTA Tour in April 2023, just five and a half months after the birth of her daughter Skaï, and played a furious comeback season, crowned with the WTA title in Strasbourg, a semi-final appearance at Wimbledon and a quarter-final appearance at the French Open. She was therefore deservedly honoured as "Comeback Player of the Year" by the WTA recently.

Svitolina is also in top form at the start of 2024: In Auckland (New Zealand) on Sunday (yesterday), she was only beaten in three sets by former Linz winner "Coco" Gauff in the final (7:6, 3:6, 3:6). The former world number three is currently ranked 23rd in the world. In her career to date, she has won a total of 17 WTA titles and almost 23 million US dollars in prize money. She has been married to French fan favourite Gaël Monfils since summer 2021; the two are considered THE dream couple of the tennis scene and inspire the international tennis community with their joint Instagram account @g.e.m.s.life. Their daughter Skaï was born in October 2022. Svitolina has had her own foundation since 2019, the Elina Svitolina Foundation, in which she is very involved. Her childhood idol was US star Andre Agassi, whose style of play she somewhat resembles. The counter-attacking player Svitolina can take balls very early, likes to play at her opponent's pace, is extremely strong, consistent and has a lot of finesse in her game.

Svitolina raves about Linz: "A very charming city"

Tournament Director Sandra Reichel is delighted with Svitolina's commitment: "Elina's tennis on the court is inspiring and captivating, but she is also an incredibly impressive personality off the court. I really admire her - for how naturally she masters her dual role as a mother and world-class athlete, for her social commitment and for the fact that she has great entertainment talent - not least on social media - and is also a very mature person with great integrity. I am very happy to be able to present her here in Linz!" Svitolina is also looking forward to her Linz comeback: "I like Austria with its culture and nature. Linz is a very charming city."