SINGAPORE -- On a hot, humid Thursday morning, Elina Svitolina took time away from preparing for her debut in the BNP Paribas WTA Finals to commune with the animals at the world-renowned Singapore Zoo.
A self-described animal lover who grew up in a "big house filled with dogs, cats and even turtles," Svitolina had an appointment with a family of orangutans.
"It was very, very cool to meet them, and it was an amazing experience," said Svitolina, who fed her new friends sugar cane, a favorite snack. "It was nice to talk to the [zoo] keepers and hear about what they do and how they take care of them. I didn't really think about what they do for all these very rare animals. I'm now more aware of what is happening, and I would be very interested to be a part of doing some work for these kind of rare animals."
Clearly excited, Svitolina almost seemed like she wanted to break out and sing some lyrics from the popular song "If I Could Talk To The Animals."
But the Ukrainian kept her singing talents in check -- for now, anyway.
The fourth-ranked Svitolina joins No. 1 Simona Halep, No. 2 Garbine Muguruza and No. 3 Karolina Pliskova among those in the eight-person year-end field. Each could walk away from Singapore as the world No. 1 player.
While there are a number of permutations at the moment, this much we do know: Svitolina either needs to win the WTA Finals title or reach the final undefeated in the round-robin portion of the tournament to have a shot at the top ranking.
Obviously, either scenario could be mentally taxing heading into the event, but it's not on the forefront of her mind.
"I don't really think about No. 1 position because for me the goal for this year was, of course, to play in Singapore, but also try to improve my game and win big titles, to play well at the Grand Slams," Svitolina told ESPN.com. "Being No. 1, it can come. It can be later. I don't have this pressure of being No. 1 this year, as if it's like the last chance. I'm young, and I have time."
Svitolina confirms her patient attitude didn't come easily. She prioritized her goals; winning titles came first. This season, she won Taipei City, Dubai, Istanbul, Rome and Toronto.
"I see my career as a big picture, and [No. 1] can be achievable later. I need to play a little bit more tournaments or maybe different tournaments. For example, I didn't play Tokyo and Wuhan, and if I wanted to achieve No. 1, I would probably have to play those kind of tournaments."
Svitolina understands that going deep at the Grand Slams is also a necessity if the end game is to rise to the top. So far, her best showings came at the French Open, in 2015 and '17, where she reached the quarterfinals. It was this year's event at Roland Garros, though, that truly showed her how far she needs to go in order to permanently take the next level in this game.
Leading 6-3, 5-1 against Halep, Svitolina became unraveled, first dropping the second set in a tiebreaker and then getting shut out in the decider. The result stung, but it was also a learning experience.
Svitolina's step-by-step approach to tennis is an outgrowth of a childhood spent in a country where tennis was hardly a convenient sport to pursue, and remains much the same today. She admits that "in the Ukraine, politics is taking a big part, so it is very, very tough" and that "sports is not on the first pages [of the news] all of the time."
Svitolina attempts to do her part whenever possible to promote tennis -- and help out with general opportunities -- to Ukrainian children.
With her mind now off her visit to the zoo, Svitolina's focus turned her focus to the WTA Finals, where she naturally is hoping for the best. So, who's going to win in this uber-tight field?
"I hope me," she said, laughing. "It's very tough, though, because the final is very tricky. Even if you lose a match, you can come back and win the tournament. It's also tricky because from the first match, you play a great player. It will be about who handles the pressure the best and who plays their game the best."
No matter the outcome of her first WTA Finals -- whether Svitolina wins the title and/or becomes the top-ranked player in the game -- she can expect a world No. 1-like greeting when she arrives home.
Win or lose, her dog, Kobe, will be there to greet her.