ROLAND GARROS

May 29, 2026

Elina Svitolina

Press Conference

E. SVITOLINA/T. Korpatsch

6-2, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Another win here. How did you feel today on court? Did the conditions change for you, or was it helpful?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, I feel like the conditions were a bit cooler today, which was nicer. Yeah, I'm feeling good, really happy with the performance, really happy with the way I'm in the second week here again.

Yeah, just enjoying myself on the court and off the court here in Paris.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I guess talking about the cooler conditions, I think on Sunday weather kind of flips with some rain and gets a little bit cooler. How do you think you're going to change the way you'll play on court given the change in weather?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Well, I'll have to adjust little bit probably the game plan. It depends, really, against who I'll be playing, because my opponents are still about to go to play, and they are both different game styles. So I will think about it when I know my opponent.

But definitely it will affect a little bit the preparation. Yeah, probably, maybe, the tension as well a little bit. Just normal things. I mean, it's, for us, kind of normal to adjust. In Melbourne, for example, it's even more extreme when you have cooler and hotter days.

Yeah, so would be nicer for sure to play in the better conditions, like lower temperature. I think also for the people, for the crowd.

Q. I'm curious to know how you manage to separate the private opinion of your husband from the tennis part from your coaching and professional life? How did you deal in the beginning when you had this relation to separate this without having problems?

ELINA SVITOLINA: I don't take it as a problem. To be fair, he is just adding to my team, and my coach, he likes it. He told me this. He likes to talk tennis with Gael.

I think it's great to have somebody at such a high level in your team as well and who has been through so much and who understands the game. I feel like our mentality with Gael are kind of similar in the way that we see tennis.

It's very rare when we are kind of opposite of what we're thinking about the player or about something else about tennis. So I think it's just complementing my team, yeah.

Q. So Ukraine has two women in the final 16 already and may get a third tomorrow. I'm wondering if you draw inspiration from that, from having your country do well in these big events? Then, also, if you saw Oleksandra's comments yesterday and had any thoughts about them and about her success and how outspoken she's been on these issues that you care about so much?

ELINA SVITOLINA: Yeah, answering your question, the first one, it's for sure amazing to have already in the top 100 seven girls, firstly. Then secondly, of course, playing really well in the past months, some of us.

Yeah, it's, I think, inspiration. I think more that I want younger generation to be inspired than, you know, kind of me. Okay, me (laughing). I draw motivation from different things

But I think for kids back in Ukraine, for young players, for just sport in general in Ukraine, I think it's great to have so many girls playing really well and representing the country in such a big stage.

I think, yeah, younger players should draw confidence from that and really draw as well, like, kind of when you have a dream, just go for it. I think it's something nice for them to have in such difficult times.

Then answering the second part of the question, yeah, I've seen briefly the comments. Yeah, I mean, I support Oleksandra. She's very outspoken. It's been, of course, for us, for players who been dealing for so many years, over four years, with these issues, already kind of in the past.

But she's a new player, so of course, with a strong opinion, so she wants to deliver the message right now, because she didn't have the opportunity before.

But me, personally, I support in the way that she's very strong with her opinions. I mean, it's no secret that Ukraine is still under huge attack. For us it's still a very sensitive topic.

If we're not talking about it, it doesn't mean that it's not touching us and it's not difficult for us. So I just, yeah, have the support for that.

Q. Just on the subject of Ukraine, I wondered, during tournaments some people stay off social media. Some people stay in a bubble, and I wonder with the subject of Ukraine specifically and the war, do you try to avoid kind of reading about it during a big tournament or ahead of matches? I just wonder, how you kind of find a way to separate those things when it's obviously such bad news from home?

ELINA SVITOLINA: No, I don't. For me it's a part of my life, and it's always been from the beginning of the war and always will be. You cannot escape that.

Of course, it's very difficult, very heavy, but it's your life. You cannot escape this. You have to deal with it. If difficult match happened, okay, it happens. You need to get up, and you need to go to play if you're in the right mindset to do that, if you are able to do it.

But, unfortunately, for years and years it's been the life of Ukrainians. Yeah, for me personally, I don't know of the other players, yeah, I wouldn't be able to just kind of, like, okay, whatever happens in Ukraine. Like, I'm off from that.

No, for me it's my life. I have my family there. I have my friends there. I have so much there, so I cannot. It's a part of me, and I will never switch it off.