Elina Svitolina arrives in Paris on a high note, fresh from a third Rome trophy and seeded seventh at Roland-Garros, where she will face Anna Bondar in the opening round.
The 31-year-old closed out her Rome run by beating Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff in three sets to claim her third title in the Italian capital, a sequence that has forced opponents to take notice of her form. "I think it's still early to say, because I need to start the tournament well," Svitolina said, tempering expectations even as she heads into her 13th campaign in Paris.
The numbers underline why Svitolina matters here: she has reached the Roland-Garros quarterfinals five times in 12 previous campaigns, and her recent wins over three of the sport's elite came against players who have been among the top ranks. She said the work behind that streak has been deliberate. "Now, I’ve always been saying physicality and really [being] mentally fresh are the goals, because when I'm ready to fight, when I'm ready to be physically strong on the court, I can play good tennis," she said.
Behind the calm, Svitolina has shifted how she prepares. She told reporters she has worked on a more aggressive game plan and improved her forehand, and that her mindset has changed since the early peak of her career. "But now I'm more calm, I would say, because at that time eight years ago, it was more of, OK, now I need to win Roland-Garros. That was kind of the goal. Now I'm more calm about it," she said. She added: "Of course, I feel like I'm in good form, but for me it's all about trying to enjoy this journey and not put too much pressure on myself and not just think too much about what can happen."
The matchup carries an immediate wrinkle. Bondar had beaten Svitolina as recently as Madrid earlier this month, a result that has shifted the early draw into a live contest and given fans a shorthand — bondar tennis — for the style that troubled Svitolina. That recent loss underlines a tension: Rome confirmed Svitolina's capacity to beat elite opponents across three-set battles, but Madrid showed she remains vulnerable to an opponent who can impose her game on the clay from the baseline.
Svitolina has spoken plainly about how she frames the season now, beyond single tournaments. "I think now I'm just more fine with the way that my career, it is how it is. It's OK if I don't win a Slam," she said. She returned to that thought later: "I think my career, even if I finish tomorrow, it’s OK. And if something happens, I will be fine with that, and I'll be still a happy person and will live my life good if I don't win a Slam." The lines between contentment and competitiveness are not contradictory; they are how she says she finds better tennis.
That outlook sets up the essential question for fans and rivals this week: will Svitolina's Rome momentum and tactical tweaks be enough to erase the memory of Madrid and start her 13th Paris campaign with a win? The clear answer rests on something Svitolina has promised to deliver — a sharp, fitter physical presence and a mentally fresh approach from the first point. If she starts well, her experience and recent form say she can run deep again; if she does not, Bondar's Madrid victory proves there is an immediate route out of the tournament for even the most in-form player.
