TENNIS LEGENDS VODCAST WITH ELINA SVITOLINA

How are you coping with the lockdown? Are you playing any tennis at all?
No, I am not playing any tennis because in Switzerland we are not allowed and pretty much going to play against the wall is also very strange. It depends on the place where you are, in which city. But I try to create a routine for myself. Every morning I try to do some exercise, I record it and I post it on Instagram so people can get into it and I think being engaged with the fans and the people who loves tennis, I think it’s nice to see what the tennis are playing and how they keep their body in shape. Gael is pretty much playing PlayStation all the time. So, I have to create my own routine and sometimes he’s joining to keep me motivated.

Are you getting updates all the time and what is the WTA Tour thinking?
Yeah, we are getting updates pretty much every other day. We have meetings, this week we have had big meetings. And for sure, we will talk about what Roger and Rafa proposed, to join. I think this is the right thing to do for both and it’s the right time to do it because in this difficult time it’s really tough to predict and there are a lot of talks going on.

About the tournaments, the cancellations, I think a lot of it will depend on the countries and it’s very tough to predict what is going to happen. But, I think, in the tennis world everyone should just unite and that’s my opinion.

We saw an interesting discussion with Novak Djokovic and Fabio Fognini who found out that the average age of a tennis fan is somewhere around 60 years old. Is it a combination of the two Tours, what can we do to attract younger fans and younger players?
Well, I think it’s very surprising for many players and for many people to see those statistics because, in many tournaments you see lots of younger players. I think it also depends a lot on the fact most tournaments are from Monday until Sunday and if you’re playing in big cities the kids are going to school. So, sometimes it can be challenging for them so obviously it’s more older people who are watching until the weekend – then the parents can bring their kids to see tennis. Maybe that kind of things also matters. But to be fair, it’s a very tough to say because I think a lot of fans are involved in tennis and supporting us. It’s tough to say from my side.

Are you feeling like you’ll be having an easy time getting back physically? Is it going to take a month or two months or what is it?
Well, I think it’s going to take one month just to get back into hitting. Then for sure you need a lot longer. I think it all depends. Every player is going to have their own time to get their confidence back. And the tournaments’ mindset and to get back into the routine. I think for everyone it’s been the longest – at least for most of the people – the longest time that they haven’t touched a racket, so I think it will take time and I think everyone is going to be pretty much in the same condition. That’s a good thing.

Do you share your current situation and worries with your fellow players?
Well, we have meetings every Friday with all WTA players. Yes [we have a WhatsApp group with the top 10 players], Top 10 we have a group as well, where we are talking as we were talking before about the fund, what can be approved, how we can help other players. There’s lots of questions and we have a group with Steve Simon (CEO, WTA) as well. We are trying to find out what’s the best way to help players and what we can do.

The biggest problem we are all facing in sport is the social distancing rule but in tennis, you have a net and you have two players, they’re far enough. How would you think about the opinion of maybe starting a couple tournaments without spectators?
For sure, this can be an option. But I think for us as a player it’s very hard because I think fans make such a huge impact on our performance. They motivate us, they support us and you’re playing pretty much for them, when it’s tough moments they cheer you up and you get that extra energy. So, on that side it would be very tough for player.

It’s almost like playing lower tournaments, when you go back to ITF’s. For sure the level may be not 100% there, because there’s no people watching. Sometimes you go even lower with your mood as well because you’re playing for almost no-one. It’s going to be much tougher for players. But if for safety that’s what has to be done, for sure, to resume slowly if it has to be done, that’s the way forward, I think.

How does this break kind of affect your passion and maybe your confidence? Are you worried about your own game in the future?
Well, I wouldn’t say that last year was my best season. I think 2018 was pretty good as well, but regarding Grand Slams for sure it was very good and very high level. I was struggling a little bit with my knee last year. So, this year I was just getting back on track with my game and with the mental state as well, so honestly, it’s sad for me.

I just had won a tournament in Mexico and going into Indian Wells, I was in a very good form and we had to stop. I think for everyone it was a big shock and everyone is trying to keep busy and we still don’t know when we are going to resume the play. But now we have some different entertainment like virtual tennis, which gives your mind some tennis so that’s another great thing. Yeah, I am just trying to find a way to stay active and that’s pretty much what I am doing every single day.

You have a new coach this year, Marcos Baghdatis, who played on the Tour until last year. Are you in contact with him? What are you talking about at the moment and why did you choose him?
Well, I knew Marcos for a long time. We played in the same team with him in India and I got to know him very well at that time. We were always trying to stay in touch, and he was helping me a lot. In 2019 we decided, when he stopped, I had asked him for a long time to help me, but he wanted to finish his career and to do it properly.

We then decided to start to work together. And we did the off-season together and he went with me to Australia. It was a very good experience for me, I really enjoyed the time with him and I think it helped me to realize where I am with my tennis and I think it really gave me the confidence to play some matches where I thought that I might not have to win. I think he gave me the confidence to see where I am and with my coach Andy [Andrew] Bettles we had a good team. Unfortunately, we had to stop with Marcos because he wants to stay with his family. So, in that time we didn’t know that this was going to happen, and we had to stop this season. We’ll see maybe in the future, it will be nice to have him in my team again.

Elina Svitolina was speaking exclusively to Eurosport's Tennis Legends podcast alongside Feliciano Lopez. Download the full podcast from Thursday evening (30 April).