WIMBLEDON, England — How rare it is in the first week of a Grand Slam for a match to feature two well-known players on even footing. Consider the big names in big matches Friday: Stan Wawrinka was a clear underdog to Novak Djokovic despite his three Grand Slams; Iga Swiatek and Ons Jabeur both defeated players with far less extensive résumés; and unseeded Andy Murray was definitely an underdog to Stefanos Tsitsipas, yes, even on Center Court at his home slam and, yes, even though he has three Grand Slam trophies in his cabinet at home.
But when Wimbledon qualifier Sofia Kenin and wild card-recipient Elina Svitolina faced off in the third round Friday, it was comeback quest vs. comeback quest, the iron will of a former Grand Slam champion clawing her way back up the rankings after years in the wilderness against the steel of a new mother reigniting her career and playing for her war-torn country.
Yeah, the first set went to a tiebreaker.
Svitolina, the Ukrainian, won that and then rolled to a 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 victory, setting up a fourth-round match against Victoria Azarenka that is notable for a few reasons.
It is a matchup of two mothers, which is still noteworthy albeit less rare these days on the WTA Tour. Svitolina, 28, returned to the tour in April, six months after giving birth to a daughter and already having one title and one quarterfinal appearance in the French Open to show for it.
She spoke about that Friday in a manner that reminds you of the abnormality of elite athletes — she encouraged any mother thinking of returning to her sport to have patience because results may not come as quickly as you hope. When it was pointed out that results came pretty dang quickly for her, she smiled.
“Well,” she said, “I was expecting earlier.”
It is also a matchup that will test Svitolina’s mettle both mentally and physically. Svitolina has lost all five of her matches against Azarenka, and their bouts now come with political baggage: Svitolina was born in Odessa; Azarenka is a native of Russian ally Belarus.
“It’s another match, but in a way, a lot of Ukrainians will be watching, will be supporting me,” Svitolina said. “I will go out there and put the fighting spirit on and just really fight for every single point.”
Svitolina counts the strength she has found in dedicating herself to championing her country as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues as partly responsible for her fast comeback. When she first took a sabbatical from the game in March 2022 and then announced her pregnancy months later, she threw herself into fundraising for Ukraine through her foundation and has donated her prize money to help children there since she resumed playing.
A former world No. 3, Svitolina was an undeniable, consistent talent before her break. She was one of many women vying to rule the WTA at the tail end of Serena Williams’s career, an era in women’s tennis defined by churn at the top. She has returned with the same undeniable talent and added confidence that has come from dedicating herself to a cause and through that found her voice.
“I’m just more fresh. Physically and also mentally more, you know, motivated in some ways,” Svitolina said. “You know, for my country, I cannot complain, you know, on my life and what I have now. It’s just every day I take as opportunity to be better, opportunity to fight for my country. Yeah, just I think those little things make this big motivation for me to be better.”
Svitolina said she initially had wanted to take more time off after giving birth, but she sped up her timeline after she began hitting and some of her coaches — and some of the coaches of her husband, tennis player Gael Monfils, and some of the coaches at her local club — told her she was playing well. She found it hard to ignore that many coaches.
She cannot accurately measure how much she feels like her pre-pregnancy self; she knows only that she feels stronger somehow. But she will not consider her comeback complete until she is back from her current world ranking of 76 and into the top 10.
“I always have high expectations. It might sound arrogant maybe, but I will always have high expectations for myself. Each time I play the tournament, I want to win it. Doesn’t matter. Even the first tournament that I played in Charleston, everybody was telling me, ‘Oh, it’s unbelievable, you’re playing your first tournament already in April,’ ” Svitolina said. “But I even then had a goal to win the tournament because, you know, why I’m playing then?”
Svitolina has acknowledged the great effort it takes for her to concentrate on playing well, with tragedy unfolding in her home country and a young family on her mind. To help that, her daughter, Skai, stayed home with her two grandmothers and Monfils, who Svitolina reports is equal parts tired and supportive. Mom needs to focus on her comeback, after all, and that means readying for Azarenka.
“For me, it’s a big motivation. … I think for my country as well,” Svitolina said. “Looking forward to this challenge.”