Boooooooom, what a serve, unreal!
Even before her match at the Margaret Court Arena against Jasmine Paolini, Elina Svitolina had butterflies in her stomach. She was pumped up and adrenaline flowed through her veins. And why not! On the same court, playing was her beloved husband, Gael Monfils, who holds the record for winning most matches by a Frenchman in the history of Grand Slams.
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The Ukrainian was stretching it out, warming up before facing World No.4 Paolini, but was equally focussed on how Monfils was shaping up against another World No.4, Taylor Fritz, also the US Open 2024 runner-up. After more than three hours, Monfils became a part of history. At the age of 38, Monfils became the oldest player to beat a top 5 seed in the Australian Open since the ATP rankings came along.
It wasn’t a cakewalk for Monfils, who had to stage a comeback after losing the first set. But in the end, the veteran walked away with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-7, 4-6 triumph, setting up a clash with American youngster Ben Shelton in the pre-quarters of the men’s singles. Since winning the ASB Classic in Auckland to begin New Year in the best possible manner, Monfils has only grown in stature.
But there was more joy waiting for the Monfils-Svitolina family.
In comes Elina
After Monfils came up trumps, it was Svitolina’s turn to shine bright; the same Svitolina who beat the top-ranked Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinal of Wimbledon 2023. The same Svitolina, who is one of the mothers along with Caroline Wozniacki, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Belinda Bencic and Naomi Osaka to take the court after going through the rigours of giving birth.
Just like Monfils, Svitolina stumbled in the opening set. But while for Monfils, it was a five-setter, and he could still have afforded to drop another set, the same wasn’t the case for Svitolina, who was well and truly under the pump. But instead of knuckling under, Svitolina showed the mettle she’s made of. The 30-year-old marched into the pre-quarters with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 triumph.
Svitolina had strength to draw from Monfils, who was anxiously watching her play from the stands. After a forehand down the line eked out an enforced error from Paolini, Svitolina pumped her fists. Seeing her victorious, Monfils had a smile of pride on his face as he celebrated his wife’s win. After a gruelling day, both Svitolina and Monfils beat a World No.4 on the same court and both while coming back from a set down.
Could it have been more poetic? It couldn’t!
Mutual respect and support
Since marrying in 2021 and becoming parents in October 2022 to daughter Skai, Svitolina and Monfils have set incredible benchmarks of thriving in a relationship despite being in professions that demand immense strain, both physical and mental. The mutual support and respect for each other was evident after their respective wins on Super Saturday.
In the post-match press conference after beating Fritz, Monfils said that he dreamt of having a flourishing family, more than playing tennis and winning majors.“My dream is to have an unbelievable family. Tennis is cool… But my dream is out there,” Monfils said.
Svitolina, who was the World No.3 back in 2017, didn’t disappoint her husband either. After her come-from-behind victory over Paolini, who was the Wimbledon and French Open finalist last year, Svitoliva said, “I want to say I got inspired after my husband’s win.”
Svitolina and Monfils might not have won a Grand Slam, but the couple have shown the pathway for aspiring couples to shine both in their personal and professional careers. Monfils and Svitolina might well go down as one of the most inspiring tennis couples to have graced the game regardless of what lies ahead in their careers.
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