Elina Svitolina has just won her fifth WTA 1000 title, but Tim Henman is already demanding more from her.
After all, following what he had just seen, he insisted: ‘Why not?’
The Ukrainian beat Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff on her way to this latest Italian Open triumph, ousting the fourth, third and second best players in the world.
She has proven her quality on the big stage and reinforced her ability to compete with the very best.
That is what provoked Henman to make a bold claim, live on Sky Sports.
Tim Henman tells Elina Svitolina she must now challenge for a Grand Slam
First assessing her performance in the final against Gauff, the British pundit was astounded by Elina Svitolina‘s unflinching approach to the match.
He claimed: “Incredible. The bravery, the courage and conviction to keep going for her shots, because, you know, she was the one that was in front, she was up a set, she had the lead in the second set, and then she didn’t get that second set, and at a set all you’re thinking, well, are there going to be a few gremlins coming into her mind mentally, but absolutely not.
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“She just kept going for her shots. Taking the ball up the line when she had the opportunity, Coco Gauff was going for the drop shot pretty early, her speed of movement coming forward, and then, you know, decision making to flick those shots cross-court or down the line. So, yeah, just an outstanding victory.”
Henman then added: “The people she beat, going into the Roland Garros with these types of victories, she’s gonna fancy her chances.”
Later on, he reinforced that Grand Slam suggestion, noting: “I think you know sometimes on the quicker surfaces you might get a little bit of a surprise winner, but when you’re coming to a massive tournament like this, you know, pre-French Open when all the players are present, you know to win it once is an amazing effort, twice is double, and three times champion, it really is, you know, I’m sure one of the best achievements in her career.
“But then, you know, when you reflect on the Grand Slams, she’s been in, I think, four or five semifinals. You’ve got to think the aspiration is to get in the Grand Slam final. And with this type of tennis, with this confidence, the belief of beating the best players, why not?”
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To make such a claim if a player had never really looked like threatening for a Grand Slam title might seem a step too far, but Svitolina has enjoyed plenty of deep runs at this level before.
If she were to storm her way into a major final, there would be very few shocked fans amongst the tennis community.
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After all, since 2015, the 31-year-old has reached ten major quarter-finals and another four semi-finals, one of which came earlier this year.
It’s also worth mentioning that half of those semi-finals have come since her return to the sport after giving birth.
