Elina Svitolina has found her happily ever after with husband Gael Monfils.
Tennis' glamour couple married on Friday, July 19th, 2021 in Nyon, Switzerland. And while wedded life hasn't impact their tennis relationship, it has deepened their personal relationship, Svitolina said.
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"Tennis-wise nothing really change," Svitolina told the media in Melbourne after her Australian Open second-round win. "We are still practicing sometimes together. We are talking about tennis sometimes. Sometimes trying not to talk too much about tennis. I mean, for tennis nothing really changed.
"But I think personally it connected us even more. We had amazing wedding in a way that all our families were together. It's very rare for a tennis player to see whole family together because my parents, they in Ukraine. His parents in France, Guadeloupe, Martinique. Everyone is everywhere.
"In that day was really special that we saw everyone at one venue. We were super happy with how the event went. Was very special for both of us."
Monfils, who opened the 2022 season stoked the competitive fire beating Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-4 in the Adelaide International 1 final to capture his 11th career championship, says his wife's caring support keeps him positive on court.
"With me, you know, she's always very caring," Monfils said of his wife. "She knows that I need to feel good most of the time to deliver, so she's, I mean, she knows me quite well and she always have the good word when something comes up maybe outside of tennis or wherever to bring me back on my goal."
Monfils and Svitolina began dating in 2019. Shortly after the 2021 Australian Open last February, the couple announced they were pressing pause on their relationship.
“The decision was incredibly difficult, because we still have love for each other,” they said in a joint statement after Melbourne. “But it’s just two best friends realizing it’s time to take some space and help each other live the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible.”
That brief break prompted both to realize the depth of their love for each other. Monfils says the couple's connection transcends tennis.
"And then for sure on her main passion hers is tennis and then that I can understand. I think it's quite good, you know," Monfils said. "But at the end of the day I mostly say to people, you know, tennis, it's something but it's not our life. Our life is, it's way different.
"It's like we have so much more in common outside of tennis and that is the most important because I guess there's so many people share the tennis passion and I hope that's not why she married me and that's not why I married her, you know. So it's great, but it's not the main thing, you know."
Svitolina said she and Monfils serve as a mutual support system because they understand the challenges of life on the pro circuit.
"For me it's important to have someone who understands what I'm going through," said Svitolina, who will face Victoria Azarenka in round three. "I will have for sure some bad situations where I'm not feeling well off the court, you are struggling with motivation, which is normal for the athletes. You are traveling so much. You're away from home, away from your family. For me this is sometimes can get complicated.
"It's very important, the mental part is very important. For me to have Gael next to me at the same big events it's actually also very lucky in our situation that we are both at the top of our sport so we are traveling pretty much the same tournaments. Yeah, that's really lucky in a way that we found love for each other and we do the same thing. We play tennis. We have same goals. We're just helping each other in the way that we can help."
Photo credit: Elina Svitolina Instagram