Naomi Osaka and Caroline Wozniacki under more pressure over comeback as a ‘mom’ because of Elina Svitolina says Andrea Petkovic
Wozniacki, Kerber and Osaka, all will be seen following the path of Svitolina soon.
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From left:Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka and Caroline Wozniacki (Image via Sky Sports/CNN)
Returning from maternity leave is not an easy task in sports. In tennis, it is even tougher as the physicality of the sport demands a lot out of one’s body. However, in recent times on the WTA Tour, players are embracing this challenge and are doing well post their comebacks.
The most recent example is Ukrainian Elina Svitolina who had her child with husband Gael Monfils and now is winning many matches. It didn’t start easy for her, but with more hours on the court in 2023, she has caught hold of the much-needed rhythm.
Svitolina, post her return on the tennis tour, won the Internationaux de Strasbourg and also made it to the semi-finals of the Wimbledon. These feats are great for her as a player. However, they can add pressure on others according to Andrea Petkovic. In an interview with Tennis Channel, Petkovic said, “We saw Serena do it. We now see Elina Svitolina. Now I have to ask myself if she now increased the pressure on people like Caroline Wozniacki, Naomi Osaka, & Angie Kerber.”
The former German tennis player, “I think they thought comeback like ‘Oh, she was just pregnant, let’s see what she does & we’ll re-evaluate after a year.’ But now Svitolina is coming back so strongly, I think they’ll feel a bit of pressure to do the same.” She stated Serena Williams and Svitolina’s comebacks and then mentioned that their success can add pressure on Naomi Osaka, Caroline Wozniacki, and Kerber. It will be interesting to see how these players fare post their comebacks.
Battle of Mothers as Elina Svitolina takes on Caroline Wozniacki at the Cincinnati Masters 2023
As the Canadian Open is coming to an end, there is altogether excitement in Mason Ohio for the start of the seventh Masters event of the year. The Cincinnati Masters has put its draw out and interesting clashes are dominating right away. First-round action sees the battle of the mothers as Elina Svitolina takes on Caroline Wozniacki.
Svitolina has already had a successful comeback on the tour as she won the Internationaux de Strasbourg and also made it to the semi-finals of the Wimbledon. On the other hand, Wozniacki has just played two matches so far. She beat Aussie Kim Birrell 6-2 6-2 before losing to Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova in two sets at the Canadian Open.
Wozniacki in her win did show signs of her old self and will be interesting to see how she goes in this clash. She is facing the Ukrainian, who already seems to be settled post her comeback.
In case you missed it:
- “Both parties hate women” – Martina Navratilova’s double standards exposed by former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner amidst the transgender athletes debate
- Caroline Wozniacki credits Serena Williams and Elina Svitolina for inspiring her to come out of retirement as she wins her first match back at the Canadian Open
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Manan Mehta
(215 Articles Published)