Elina Svitolina’s coach Andrew Bettles believes her WTA Finals triumph could be a great launching pad for next season as the Ukrainian appears to have conquered her demons, sending out a major statement at the close of 2018.
Following a difficult second half of the year, Svitolina defied all odds by going undefeated at the season finale in Singapore, to win the biggest title of her career.
Scooping the Billie Jean King trophy not only silenced her doubters, but lifted Svitolina back into the world’s top-five (she ends the year as the world No. 4).
Svitolina was in a tight position before Singapore. She hadn’t secured her qualification spot and wasn’t entered in any tournaments in the last week leading up to the WTA Finals. Her fate was not in her own hands and she had to depend on other players’ results to book her place in Singapore. Ultimately results fell in her favour and she made it to the Lion City.
Her coach Bettles is not really sure how she pulled off the title victory after so much uncertainty just 10 days earlier.
Elina Svitolina admits she must adapt her game to her new body
“I can’t really [explain it],” Bettles told Sport360.
“I guess pressure was totally off her because she didn’t even know if she was going to play so she should just go out there, give it her best and she had nothing to lose.”
.@ElinaSvitolina and coach Andrew Bettles with their biggest trophy yet pic.twitter.com/cSrbzCqimv
— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) October 28, 2018
Svitolina, whose strong first half of the year saw her pick up titles in Brisbane, Dubai and Rome, spoke openly throughout the week in Singapore about how tough it was for her to deal with the slew of scrutiny and criticism regarding her dip in form and dramatic weight loss.
She felt she had something to prove and her WTA Finals success goes a long way to doing just that.
Her stats during the tournament painted an impressive picture as she led the field in aces and service points won.
“She’s a great player, she went through a little rough patch but that didn’t stop her from being an amazing player. So I think she just got back to her basics a little bit, kind of let all the bad feeling and everything out and she was just free to play and you could see what a great player she is,” explained Bettles.
“I think she’s naturally a born fighter, you could see it out there. A lot of people were doubting her over the summer, and probably even herself a little bit, so she went out there and showed everyone what she can do.”
In August, Svitolina parted ways with her then head coach Thierry Ascione. She had the briefest of trials with Nick Saviano in Wuhan but that partnership did not come into fruition.
Bettles, who started off as her hitting partner then became her traveling coach, has done a great job with Svitolina, helping her get through the aforementioned “rough patch” and was seen commended by the legendary Martina Navratilova, who greeted him after the final in Singapore.
A search for an additional coach will commence during the offseason.
“I’m going to have time off, obviously, I think three weeks. I have to settle some issues with my health,” said Svitolina. “Yeah, just go from there. I’m going to speak with Andy [Bettles] and see what are the best options, which coaches are available at the moment, and try to work for some time.
“It’s a little bit easier to work during the offseason, because obviously you’re not like under crazy pressure. It’s not the same as you start, for example, in the middle of the season you take someone. So that’s why it’s a bit tricky. So I have to really think — I don’t want to take, like, just a person and then, you know, split in two weeks. So it’s a big decision.”
Last year, Caroline Wozniacki lifted the WTA Finals trophy then went on to claim her first Grand Slam title in Australia at the start of the 2018 season. Can Svitolina use her Singapore triumph to a similar effect?
“Let’s hope so,” said Bettles.
“It’s a great thing to build on going into the offseason, so she’ll have a nice feeling going into that and she’ll be in great shape for Australia.”
