Svitolina, Bencic target Tokyo Olympics

The world No.4 and world No.5 harbour hopes of representing and winning gold for Ukraine and Switzerland, respectively.

Tennis may be a single focus, individual sport but some players do dream of being part of a team environment and bringing laurels to their country.
And with this being an Olympic year, Elina Svitolina and Belinda Bencic will be paying extra attention to the greatest show on earth.
The Tokyo Olympics take place in July and August and the world No.4 and world No.5s harbour hopes of representing and winning gold for Ukraine and Switzerland, respectively.
"For sure, as it is the Olympic year, it's important for me to play well at the Olympics, try to get a gold for Ukraine," Svitolina said on Sunday.
"All the Grand Slams are always the ultimate goal I think for every tennis player. But for me, I think trying to find back my game, my rhythm, stay healthy throughout the year. When I feel good, I can play on a high level. For me being healthy and playing consistently, that's how I get back on the top and staying there as well," added the 25-year-old, who has won back-to-back Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships titles in 2017 and 2018.
Defending Dubai champion Bencic too said that the Olympics will be her top priority.
"For me, the Olympics is for sure a big highlight in my season. I'm definitely going to prepare well for this tournament," said Bencic.
"I think it's going to just be amazingly exciting for me, first time at the Olympics, to see how everything goes, to see all the different athletes and sports. For me, it's going to be something really special," added the 22-year-old who had beaten 2013 winner Czech Petra Kvitova in last year's final.
Coming back to the event in Dubai, Bencic reckoned that her first round opponent, Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, will be tough to beat.
"Like all the other first rounds, very difficult. She played great in Australia. I think she changed her game a little bit now with a new coach. I played her in Moscow, so I know how to play her. I practiced with her a couple of times. She's definitely not someone new for me," said Bencic, who, after her win in Dubai, had beaten then world No.1 Naomi Osaka at the US Open to reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.
Bencic said that she isn't bogged down by the weight of being the reigning champion and on the contrary, felt it was a privilege.
"I don't really get why all of the people think that success and then after playing it's pressure. For me, it's not. It's a privilege. I won here last year, so I can only play great again here. That's how I see it. I think it's all about the mentality," observed Bencic.
Bencic is also not getting caught up in the ranking race. "No, I'm not thinking about the No. 1 spot because I'm very far from it. I'm focusing on what's happening on the court. That's my only focus really. Really the rankings are something that's very spectacular for the media, to put pressure on players. For me, it's really just a reward for your tennis on the court. It's not something I have to focus on," she said.
james@khaleejtimes.com