Elina Svitolina called time on her 2024 season early due to the need for surgery, and she has now provided an update on social media after undergoing the procedure.
Svitolina had a very interesting 2024 season, which fell short of matching the success she experienced the year before. However, it was still a solid year overall for the 30-year-old player.
The Ukrainian has been dealing with some physical issues lately, which have prevented her from playing the way she wanted. To address these issues, she decided to end her season early.
The main problem was with her foot, and she ultimately had to undergo surgery. The final quarter of the season presented the perfect time to do so, giving her the chance to recover in time for the 2025 season.
She has now undergone the surgery and provided an update on social media, in which she discussed both the surgery and the injury. It’s a longstanding issue that bothered her in 2023 and for most of this year, so now was finally the time to address it.
"So unfortunately my 2024 season is now in the history books, as I have had surgery on my foot today to correct a long standing issue that I have been trying to manage throughout this year."
"This is the same issue that ended my season in 2023 and has hampered me for most of 2024. It's become harder to manage and has been impacting me more and more, not just with regard to tennis and training but in my everyday life too."
Undergoing surgery was obviously not ideal for Svitolina. Even so, doing it at this point in the year offers her a chance to recover in time for the start of next year, which should be the goal.
If Svitolina could perform as well as she did with these physical issues, she could do even better when fully healthy. That’s her aim—to return stronger and better than before. If she does, she will certainly make an impact on the WTA Tour.
In the second part of her update, Svitolina thanked everyone for the support she has received since revealing that her season was over.
"I am excited for the opportunity to focus on my recovery and come back even stronger than before. I am determined to do whatever it takes to get back on the court and compete at the highest level."
"I want to thank all of you for your support and encouragement during this challenging time. Your love and positivity mean the world to me, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all at the courts in 2025. Much love... Elina."
She has previously admitted that she doesn’t plan to play much into her 30s after becoming a mother, so it’s clear that her goal is to maximize her remaining time in the sport.
To do that, she needs to stay healthy and compete. Hopefully, she will be luckier next year and healthy for a full season.