Absolutely insane! Gael Monfils is back, and it’s thrilling to see him shaking things up on the tennis courts once again. After a bit of a quiet spell, where it felt like he was just lurking in the shadows of high-ranked players, he’s finally hitting his stride. Known for his athleticism, flair, and jaw-dropping shots that leave crowds in awe, Monfils has had a challenging year. But all of that seems to be changing as the hard courts of America have breathed new life into his game.

Monfils ousted the Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz in the second round at the Cincinnati Masters in three sets 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. The match, which was earlier suspended due to rain, finally resumed with some ray of excitement for Monfils. The star player, who was down by a set when the match was suspended finally pounced back after its resumption and demonstrated that he still had the fire in his belly. But what followed after the match was an emotional turn of events. 

Soon after whisking out Alcaraz, Monfils dedicated his victory to his daughter Skai. He headed towards the camera and wrote “Bonjour Skai,” after the match. Monfils not only made Alcaraz bite the dust, but he also left him agitated as the Spaniard couldn’t control his emotions on several occasions in the game.

After being pushed for the third set, Alcaraz was furious. The Spaniard lost his cool after giving up on a point. This resulted in an act full of rage on the courts of Cincinnati. The 21-year-old was seen smashing his racket several times which left it deformed. The gesture took the crowd by surprise as the young champ unleashed his rarely-discovered side.

Coming back to Skai, the 2022-born kid will be witnessing some more thrilling encounters on Friday. Remember. Skai’s mother and the Ukrainian tennis sensation Elina Svitolina is also taking over Aryna Sabalenka in her third-round clash. Besides, her father will also play his third-round match on Friday itself, against Holger Rune in less than two hours. 

As Skai’s parents gear up for competitive endeavors, there is one remarkable off-court battle that the kid has won against her father. 

When Monfils revealed Skai’s dominance in an interesting battle

After his first-round win at Cincinnati Masters, the 37-year-old engaged in an interview with Tennis Channel. When the discussion shifted towards his daughter, the star player admitted that he was inferior to her, when it came to speaking English at least. 

Highlighting the immense and unique talent that his daughter possesses, Monfils said, “So it’s quite funny, you know, it’s quite funny to see how quick uh, she, she can adapt. You will talk to her in English she will reply you in English. I will speak French she will speak French. And family of Elina will speak Ukrainian she will talk Ukrainian.”

Monfils and his tennis-playing wife Elina Svitolina were blessed with a daughter in October 2022. While Skai is not even two years old, she can speak better English than her father. The Frenchman revealed that despite not being fluent in the languages, Skai manages to understand and converse basic things like asking for water or expressing her desire for sleep. “Her English is way better than mine already, which is amazing you know,” Monfils jokingly said.

As the ongoing tournament progresses, it would be interesting to see if Monfils can continue his remarkable run and bring more joy to his daughter.