Svitolina, Champion in Rouen: "The Transition from Hard Court to Clay Is Always the Toughest for Me"

In recent days, Elina Svitolina claimed the 18th title of her career at the WTA 250 in Rouen without dropping a single set. The Ukrainian, ranked 17th in the world, dominated Teichmann, Kalinina, Bouzas Maneiro, Ruse, and Danilovic to secure the trophy—her seventh on clay. Before entering the Madrid tournament, where she will face Kartal in the second round, the 30-year-old Svitolina reflected on her victory in Normandy.

"I’ve really started the clay season well. I’m very happy to have had a bit more time to prepare because the transition from hard court to clay is always the toughest for me.

Clay demands a lot from the smaller muscles, especially in the legs, which aren’t used as intensely on hard courts.

When you slide to reach a ball or stretch to get to it, you engage muscles that can easily be overstretched, leading to minor inflammations.

Given how packed the clay schedule is—with tournaments like Stuttgart, Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros—you’re constantly pushing your body to its limits.

That’s exactly why I’m glad I chose to play in Rouen. It allowed me to play multiple matches, build confidence, and fully transition to clay.

For example, in Stuttgart, even your first or second round can immediately pit you against a top-10 or top-20 player. Another factor was my fitness, as I’m trying to stay in peak condition right now.

Also, my wins in Indian Wells and Miami weren’t easy to come by, and I wanted to refine my game to not just win matches but dominate on court. Considering all these factors, my coach and I thought playing Rouen would be an ideal decision—and it turned out to be just that," she said.

In the Spanish capital, Svitolina will aim to perform, as she has surprisingly never progressed past the second round—reached in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2024. Against Sonay Kartal, she has the chance to improve her best Madrid result.

"Unfortunately, Madrid has never really clicked for me in the past. We’ve tried different approaches and adjustments, attempting to find the right rhythm here, but somehow it hasn’t worked out.

Honestly, I don’t quite know why. My coach and I have discussed it a lot, but we haven’t been able to pinpoint what was missing," she added recently.