Elina Svitolina asks the US Open referee about her husband, Gael Monfils, during the match
Tennis
August 31, 2023 | 8:15 p.m
In the middle of her match at the US Open on Thursday, Elina Svitolina stopped the referee with a unique request.
She wanted to know if her husband, tennis superstar Gael Monfils, had started her runway match against Andrei Rublev.
Svitolina, ranked No. 26 from Ukraine, was in the midst of a battle with Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who took the first set when she asked the chair umpire for her partner.
The Ukrainian went on to win her match 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 against Pavlyuchenkova at Louis Armstrong Arena, telling the fans afterwards that she was just looking for a little extra support.
“I was just trying to get a little bit of motivation out of him. I know he’s playing there,” Svitolina said.
“Just (to change) my mind a bit, I wasn’t playing my best, I had to bring a different energy. I was just trying to get a little bit of motivation out of him… I was just thinking a little bit about him.”
Although Svitolina pulled away with the win, her husband was not so lucky, being eliminated after losing four sets.
Svitolina and Monfils, the French player ranked No. 162 but reached No. 6 in 2016, have been married since 2021.
They have a daughter named Skaï together.
The French Open earlier this year marked the first time the pair had played in the tournament at the same time since Sky’s arrival.
“It’s our first tournament where we’re playing in the same tournament and Sky is here with us in Paris as well. It’s really special,” Svitolina told CNN in May.
“So far everything is going well, we are really enjoying our time off the field together, and on the field as well, trying to focus and play as best we can.
“Of course, it’s really important to have a team for Skaï, who takes care of her, so we can focus on tennis. And especially in such a big event with so much pressure and so many things going on, it’s important to have your mind calm about your child and then be You are 100% ready for tennis.
Svitolina, who stopped participating in the WTA in 2022 due to the birth of her daughter, returned to the scene in 2023 by qualifying for the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
During that tour, Monfils stayed home to take care of his daughter and did not compete in London because he was suffering from a wrist injury.
In August at the National Bank Open, Monfils was asked if he had ever played mixed doubles with his wife.
“You know, why don’t you play double mixed once? Why not?” He told tennis journalist Mike McIntyre. “But the thing is, you know, it’s hard for me to play singles and doubles. But I feel that when it’s over, I’ll try to redouble my efforts. Hopefully not next year.”
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