“I was a little bit inspired by his performance yesterday,”- Elina Svitolina said after watching her husband, Gael Monfils, perform at Wimbledon. However, the tennis world can sometimes be unkind to even the most loved power couple in the sport, bringing “comparisons” between the duo into the picture. Nevertheless, muting all the noise, Gael Monfils, who exited Wimbledon in the third round, is busy supporting his wife in the tournament! After all, he knows how to wave them away with a tinge of humor.

The couple, who tied the knot in 2021, has been one of the epitomes of couple goals in tennis. Neither leaves any opportunity to support the other whenever they can. Even when Gael Monfils experienced a defeat against Grigor Dimitrov in the third round, he quickly shook off the disappointment and was soon applauding for his wife, Svitolina, in her third-round match. However, even then, Monfils had to face the inevitable comparisons between the two’s performances. Nevertheless, the French tennis pro has his vision clear, as he delved into the “funny” reason behind such comparisons.

“Some people try to compare my wife and I. My wife looks super-professional in a way and me I don’t look professional in a way. But that’s not really the case because I have my work ethic. I’m working. It’s funny, but in the end, it’s not hurting me,” he said to The Guardian. Adding to that, the former World No. 6 who started dating Svitolina in 2019, further explained why it does not hurt him. “The only thing I want is for people to never forget that to succeed or whatever, you don’t have to listen to other people.”

Perhaps that is the reason why Monfils and Svitolina never stop cheering for each other. Referring to this, Elina Svitolina herself admitted earlier, “It’s nice to see each other cheering. So when we get a chance and when we know that it’s not like clashing with each other’s preparation or recovery, we try to do our best.”

Gael Monfils, who has suffered from back-to-back injuries over the last couple of years, is slowly returning to his form and is back in the top 33 players. Although doubts regarding his performance troubled him initially, Monfils navigated swiftly around those thoughts with sheer hard work and passion for the sport. And through it all, he had the unwavering support of his wife. “Well, for us there are no issues… I feel like it helps both of us to analyze and to help each other in tough moments,” Svitolina once said. 

On the other hand, the former World No. 3 player, with her 17 WTA tour singles, is consistently showing her best tennis to the world. As a result, comparisons are inevitable. However, Svitolina has her way of cheering up her husband in times when he needs it the most.

Elina Svitolina reveals how she helps Gael Monfils during tough times

The quarterfinalist of Wimbledon this season, Elina Svitolina, once admitted that she loves watching her husband play on-court. But the support is mutual, as the Ukrainian star also knows that Gael Monfils is always there to make her matches “special.” And in return, she tries to make her partner feel comfortable when he needs it after a loss.

“He’s very different. I let him also play video games to release all these negative things that sometimes he has after the losses, and sometimes the media also pisses him off a bit. In a way I feel like we are used to it now and it helps us because we know how to support each other and we know what we’re going through.”

Even when Gael Monfils lost against Grigor Dimitrov at Wimbledon, Svitolina confessed how it was “disappointing” to watch him lose even after playing “unbelievably” well. Therefore, one thing is clear: as both navigate around the highs and lows of their professional journey, their love story remains incomparable!