The 2026 US Open has already been an emotional tournament for Gaël Monfils and Elina Svitolina. On September 1, Monfils celebrated his 40th birthday, and before the Frenchman took the court for his first-round singles match against Adolfo Daniel Vallejo during the night session at Louis Armstrong Stadium, Svitolina shared a heartfelt tribute for her husband.
Elina Svitolina Shares Sweet Birthday Message for Gaël Monfils Ahead of His US Open Match
The milestone birthday is even more special, as this is his final US Open before retiring at the end of 2026. Over the past two decades, “La Monf” has won 13 ATP titles, reached a career-high No. 6 ranking, and recorded 130 Grand Slam wins, the most by a French player.
Taking to Instagram to celebrate Monfils’ 40th birthday, Svitolina wrote, “Happy birthday to my love, my husband, and the best daddy to our little girl. We are so lucky to have you. Thank you for loving us, protecting us, and always being there for our family… We love you infinitely”.
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Monfils and Svitolina met in Paris in 2018 and soon began dating. They were briefly engaged before getting married in July 2021. In 2022, the couple welcomed their daughter, Skaï.
Svitolina returned to tennis nearly six months after becoming a mother, and the former world No. 6 had so much praise for her strength, showing how the couple supports and motivates each other.
In 2026, they became one of the few married couples to hold singles titles from the same tournament simultaneously. The 31-year-old won the 2026 ASB Classic in Auckland, matching Monfils’ 2025 Auckland title. Svitolina also won the Italian Open and is currently World No. 9.
Earlier this week, the couple set another record in New York when they teamed up in the US Open Mixed Doubles Championship, as the only married couple in the draw.
Entering as wild cards, they beat Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime before defeating the top seeds, Henry Patten and Kateřina Siniaková, in a thrilling quarterfinal. Their run ended with a close semifinal loss to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, 5-4(7), 1-4, 5-10.
Now, both put their focus on the singles campaigns. Monfils will face Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, while Svitolina will play Maya Joint in the second round after beating Solana Sierra in straight sets in the first round.
