Besides competing at the ASB Classic, Elina Svitolina had been contemplating getting a new tattoo and felt there was no better place to get it than in Auckland.
Svitolina, who is the second seed at the tournament, has had to dig deep to reach the semifinal stage of the WTA 250 event in New Zealand. The Ukrainian star had been out of action since a third-round defeat to Jessica Pegula at last year's US Open.
Returning in the opening week, she was bound to have rust-related issues, but far from it. Svitolina has played some fantastic tennis this week and is on course to set up an enticing final showdown against top seed Coco Gauff.
Having downed Caroline Wozniacki in the opening round in an exciting battle of mothers, Svitolina produced a come-from-behind victory over Emma Raducanu. The World No. 25 made light work of Marie Bouzkova in a surprisingly one-sided quarterfinal.
Svitolina had never been to the ASB Tennis Centre. But on her first trip, the 29-year-old found the perfect spot to get a new tattoo after reading through online reviews of one parlor in Auckland.
"It’s a new country for me, and I've heard so many great things about the tattoos here in New Zealand. So I thought it’s a good place to get a tattoo. It’s a Ukrainian symbol, but I decided to get it here. I designed it myself. I just googled it, for the good reviews. It was a really nice place. The tattoo artist was super nice and it took a couple of minutes."
The tattoo Svitolina flashed before her followers on Instagram is of the symbolic letter "I," which she helped craft. In her social media account, Svitolina shed light on the inspirational story behind the new tattoo, paying homage to her home country.
"I begin the year with a significant tattoo. This written symbol ‘Ï’ possesses crucial meaning to Ukraine, acts as a charm for Ukrainian prosperity, and represents the idea of Ukrainian independence. Additionally, the name of my daughter Skaï incorporates this symbol, thereby enhancing the strength it holds."
0 Comments