Elina Svitolina is currently preparing for her final tournament of a very long season at the WTA Finals.
The Ukrainian star qualified for the event weeks ago and she will make her first appearance at the WTA Finals in 2026 since the 2019 season.
Svitolina will compete against Elena Rybakina, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula, Linda Noskova, and Karolina Muchova at the year-end tournament.
She will have to do so without her normal coach Andrew Bettles, either, as he will not be able to work with the star in her final tournament of the season.
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Explaining to Ukrainian Tennis, Svitolina said: “Andy Bettles’ wife is pregnant. Back at Roland Garros, he told me there was a chance she would give birth towards the end of the season, so there was a possibility he wouldn’t be able to be here with me.
And that’s exactly what happened, as she’s due to give birth this week. So, back in the summer, I started thinking about who could step in,” she continued.
Svitolina has opted for Sergiy Stakhovsky, the former ATP Tour star who retired back in 2022.
“Sergiy immediately came to mind because I’ve known him for a very long time,” Svitolina added. “We train together a lot whenever I’m in Ukraine, and he’s already been helping me anyway.
“For me, it was a very easy decision. It was also great that we had the opportunity to work together at the Billie Jean King Cup. He got to see how different players compete and became more involved in tennis again. So it was an easy choice for me, and I’m happy he agreed to help me this week.”
Stakhovsky reached a career ranking high of world No 31 on the ATP Tour during his playing days and he claimed four titles in Zagreb, St Petersburg, Rosmalen, and Connecticut.
The Ukrainian also picked up victories against both Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka in his career, with his victory over Federer famously coming in the third round of Wimbledon back in 2013.
Stakhovsky’s victory against Wawrinka came two years later in Marseille as he beat the three-time Grand Slam champion in three sets in the quarterfinals.
As for Svitolina, she will continue to work with British coach Bettles when she returns to action in the 2027 season, in the run-up to the Australian Open. He has been working with the world No 6 since she returned to the Tour in the 2025 season, with incredibly successful results.
The Ukrainian has won three titles in the past three seasons, including the Italian Open earlier this year.
