Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils are tennis’ very own romcom come to life. They’d crossed paths for years, but sparks finally flew in 2019 when Monfils sent her a message in Paris. However, like many romcoms, their story wasn’t without a twist. After two years of dating, the pair briefly split in early 2021, only to reunite a few months later. Their reunion culminated in a beautiful wedding ceremony that same July. In 2022, they shared even happier news: they were expecting their first child. Their daughter, Skai, arrived that October. The couple has kept her out of the spotlight, but the Ukrainian recently gave fans a heartwarming update about their spirited little sports enthusiast.

Svitolina’s comeback to professional tennis after becoming a mother has been nothing short of inspiring. Just months into her return, she captured her first title as a mom by winning the Internationaux de Strasbourg tournament. Getting emotional after her victory, she shared, “It was a great week for me. I’m really happy with my tennis, especially coming back after welcoming our daughter, it’s really, really special for us.”

Meanwhile, Monfils has also been open about how fatherhood has shifted his perspective. Speaking at the Australian Open earlier this year, the 38-year-old revealed that family now ranks above everything else. He said, “I tell you my dream is to have an unbelievable family. Tennis is cool. Of course, you want a gold dream, whatever. But my dream is out there.”

As for Svitolina’s latest performances, she’s been in sharp form. Fresh off winning her 18th title in Rouen, she headed to the Madrid Open full of confidence. In the second round on Friday, April 25, the 17th seed faced Britain’s Sonay Kartal and made quick work of the match with a dominant 6-3, 6-1 win.

In her post-match interview with Tennis Channel, Svitolina was asked about how her “little one” was doing. The 30-year-old lit up when talking about her daughter’s growing interest in sports. She said, “She’s very good. She loves to play tennis. She has her small racket, but she prefers the big one — either mine or Gael’s. So, yeah, she’s on the court trying to hit some balls. It’s fun to watch her grow, and she’s so much into sports. She loves football and just tries to really play a lot of different games.”

And how does she feel watching her parents play tennis? The Ukrainian answered, “She’s watching matches, she’s watching us play. She thinks that the only thing we do is play tennis, which is probably like that. But it’s interesting to see her grow every single week. It’s always something different, something new. She’s now talking a lot. And, yeah, it’s interesting to discover it all with her.”

During an interview with Tennis365 at the UTS Grand Final in January, Monfils revealed that although he is encouraging his daughter to try different sports, Skai is already drawn to the racket sport. “To be honest, we want her to try every sport other than tennis, but she likes tennis, unfortunately. She is not spending a lot of time trying tennis, but she likes it,” he said.

Despite being public figures, Svitolina and Monfils have made a conscious decision to protect Skai’s privacy. The couple has never revealed her face online and are mindful about balancing their travel schedules to ensure she has a stable, grounded upbringing.

That sense of balance doesn’t slow down their whirlwind schedules, though.

Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils get joint anti-doping tests

The couple jetted off to Madrid in style aboard a private jet. But it wasn’t all glamour – Elina Svitolina shared on her Instagram Story that they both had an early morning anti-doping test. Posting a photo to share this coincidence, she wrote,”‘Love’ the early mornings when we are in sync with anti-doping controls.”

Meanwhile, Monfils kicked off his Madrid Open campaign with a gritty comeback win over Borna Gojo, battling through a 1-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory. However, the Frenchman’s run was cut short as he had to withdraw from his second-round match against Andrey Rublev due to injury. On the other hand, Svitolina is set to face 10th seed Elena Rybakina in what promises to be a thrilling third-round clash.

As the couple juggles professional commitments and parenthood, they continue to be a source of inspiration both on and off the court. Will Svitolina keep her momentum going in Madrid and add another chapter to her comeback story?