If Elina Svitolina thinks she’s had a mountain of expectations weighing heavily on her shoulders in recent seasons, she is about to feel those pressures compounded further.
Still only 24, the defending Brisbane International champion broke through for her biggest title yet to claim the season-ending WTA Finals title in Singapore in November.
The Ukrainian flag-bearer went undefeated there in five matches – including a win over US Open 2017 champion Sloane Stephens in the final – and returned to a hero’s welcome in Kiev.
Desperate to see sporting accomplishments plastered across the front pages at the expense of ongoing political unrest, it was a homecoming designed to give hope to the next generation of Ukrainian prospects.
In a season, which started with a dominant run to the Brisbane title in January, Singapore book-ended an at times frustrating 2018.
Despite adding further titles in Dubai and Rome in between, Svitolina’s Grand Slam results left plenty of room to make amends in 2019.
A quarter-final defeat to Elise Mertens at AO2018 was the only time she passed the fourth round in the majors.
If Brisbane’s top seed requires any further motivation, she need only to look at what a breakthrough WTA Finals triumph in 2017 did for Caroline Wozniacki’s confidence.
The Dane carried that momentum to her first Grand Slam title at AO2018, shaking the monkey from her back as player considered among the best without a major.
Top seed @ElinaSvitolina on top of Brisbane! pic.twitter.com/XKVsi6MnJQ
— #BrisbaneTennis (@BrisbaneTennis) December 28, 2018
Svitolina showed no signs of those impending expectations as she soaked up Brisbane from a climb atop the iconic Story Bridge on Friday.
She was back in a city that held so many positive memories.
“It’s an amazing, amazing view,” she said. “It’s very beautiful, Brisbane.”
For now the Ukrainian’s focus is on defending the first of her four titles from 2018.
“Brisbane means a lot because last year I played amazing here, I won the tournament, and I played a few semi-finals here so it’s always a nice bit of the season,” she said.
“I’m very excited for this year … This is the first time, actually, that I’ve climbed a bridge [so] the first time I’ve done media on top of a bridge.”
For all the bridge analogies applicable to a sporting context there was one quote from the relaxed Ukrainian’s trip to the top that resonated.
“All those steps, it was really hard but in the end it’s worth it.”
They are words that would not be out of place in a winner’s acceptance speech should she go all the way at Melbourne Park in January.
Tickets to the Brisbane International are on sale via Ticketek.