When it comes to tennis’s it-couple, can anyone miss out on the dynamic duo of Gael Monfils and Elina Evitolina? Probably not! An interesting encounter in Paris in 2019 initiated the first spark in their relationship. Although they had known each other before that as well, it was in that encounter that Monfils felt he met “the real Elina” for the first time. The connection deepened quickly, leading to a relationship afterwards before they officially got hitched in 2021. Now, after six years of an emotional rollercoaster journey, Monfils’ ode to Svitolina tells us why they are the ultimate power couple in the sport.

Earlier this week, the Frenchman hosted an interesting session with his colleague and long-time friend Gilles Simon on his official YouTube channel. They covered all things sport, from their first memory of the sport to future goals and even their fascination with video games. Amid these discussions, what stood out the most was Monfils’ confession about Svitolina’s role in extending his career.

It started when Simon questioned Monfils about his active professional career at 38 and whether this long journey of 20 years would have been possible without Svitolina’s support. In his response, the French ATP star said, “Honestly, I don’t think so. I think I would have retired with you guys.”

Monfils also shared about the challenging phase he went through during COVID-19 when he lacked the motivation to play in empty stadiums and how his Ukrainian wife stood beside him like a pillar of strength.

“I had started telling her I wasn’t myself and I wanted to stop already… Then [in early 2022], just when I found the joy of playing tennis again, I won Adelaide, reached quarters at the Australian Open, and got back to #14 in the world, another foot injury sidelined me for seven months. On top of that, I had a serious family issue, and Elina was pregnant… We welcomed our daughter and I thought, ‘This is it’. It sucked to end my career because of an injury, but deep down, I knew for sure this was it,” the veteran said on the podcast.

Despite negative thoughts in Monfils’ mind, Svitolina wasn’t going to let her husband walk away from the sport he loved so dearly. Her motherhood journey, after the couple welcomed their first child in 2022, offered Monfils a fresh perspective and fueled his drive to keep going forward. The Frenchman started focusing more on enjoying his on-court presence rather than chasing titles or ATP rankings.

“She helped me set one: to play in the Paris 2024 Olympics. I was old and ranked around 400 in the world, so everyone laughed at me then… My wife saved me. She helped me reignite that fire. She played a huge part in me still playing tennis today. So, thank you, Elina,” Monfils concluded.

For this power couple, their mutual love for tennis surely has played an essential role in their connection. But is it just the sport that paved the path of their love story? Well, Monfils thinks otherwise. “We have so much more in common outside of tennis, and that is the most important because I guess there are so many people who share the tennis passion, and I hope that’s not why she married me and that’s not why I married her. So it’s great, but it’s not the main thing,” he said, as quoted by The Sun magazine, dated 29th August of 2023.

Svitolina reiterated almost a similar sentiment in that interview.

Elina Svitolina feels “very lucky” to have her husband, Gael Monfils, next to her

The Ukrainian confirmed that after her marriage to Monfils, nothing really changed between them apart from their relationship status. However, she stressed that Monfils’ presence in her life helped her in many ways, especially when she dealt with tough times professionally.

“For me, it’s important to have someone who understands what I’m going through. 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 athletes. You are travelling so much. You’re away from home, away from your family. For me to have Gaël next to me, it’s actually very lucky in our situation that we are both at the top of our sport so we are travelling pretty much to the same tournaments. 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 the same goals. We’re just helping each other in the way that we can help,“ she said.

Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina’s journey is nothing less than a fairytale. The couple enjoyed their first AO trip as a family last year, sharing glimpses of their daughter Skai playing with the tennis balls. Their joint Instagram profile, G.E.M.S. Life, became quite popular as well.  The bio of that profile showcases their simple yet profound equation: “We’re not perfect. We make mistakes. And we’ll make more mistakes. And that’s OK.”

Do you admire the Gael Monfils-Elina Svitolina pair?