Elina Svitolina opened up about how becoming a mother to Skaï, her daughter with Gaël Monfils, has impacted her tennis career.
Svitolina and Monfils began dating in 2018, shortly after the Ukrainian’s victory over Sloane Stephens at the WTA Finals. Three years later, in April 2021, they got engaged and tied the knot on July 19, the same year. In October 2022, the power couple welcomed their beautiful baby daughter, Skaï Monfils.
Elina Svitolina Shares Her Take on How Motherhood Affected Her Tennis Life
In a recent one-on-one interview with the sports brand Adidas Originals, Elina Svitolina opened up about balancing motherhood with the demands of her professional tennis career. In a video shared by the brand’s official Instagram handle on Monday, July 16, the Ukrainian spoke candidly about the challenges she has faced both on and off the court since becoming a mother.
“After giving birth, it was really important for me to give myself time, it’s not easy to be a professional player already, but then, when you have a new family, it’s something different. It gives you a lot of joy. Of course, a lot of weight on your shoulders. Just try to enjoy on the court, off the court, and just go for it,” Svitolina said.
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Svitolina was recently spotted enjoying some girls’ time at the seaside with her friends and baby daughter, although Gaël Monfils was notably absent.
Svitolina Enjoys Seaside Break With Daughter Skaï After French Open Heartbreak
After her exit from the 2025 French Open quarterfinal, Svitolina shared an adorable carousel of vacation photos with her friends and daughter Skaï, though her husband, Monfils, was missing from the fun.
Svitolina had an impressive start at Roland Garros, powering past Turkey’s Zeynep Sönmez, Hungary’s Anna Bondár, and American Bernarda Pera to secure her spot in the fourth round.
In the fourth round, the Ukrainian faced Italy’s Jasmine Paolini and came away with a win. Despite dropping the first set, she bounced back impressively to defeat the World No. 4. However, the Ukrainian’s journey ended at the hands of four-time tournament champion Iga Świątek, who beat her 6-1, 7-5.
Ten days later, on June 13, the 30-year-old posted an Instagram carousel featuring sunny seaside vacation snapshots. In the photos, she’s seen posing with her daughter and enjoying some adventure sports. She captioned the post:
“Girls wanna to have some sun🌞🥳”
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On the tennis side of things, although the Ukrainian hasn’t taken part in any tournaments since the French Open, her husband has competed in two ATP events but made an early exit in both.
Svitolina’s Husband, Gaël Monfils, Faces Consecutive Heartbreaks After French Open Loss
After a second-round exit at the French Open against Jack Draper, Gaël Monfils returned to action at the Boss Open (formerly known as the Stuttgart Open), an ATP 250 grass-court event. However, luck wasn’t on his side, as he suffered a first-round defeat to American Alex Michelsen in a hard-fought three-set battle, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6.
Next up at the Queen’s Club on June 16, the Frenchman made another early exit from the HSBC Championships, falling in straight sets to Mackenzie McDonald, 4-6, 4-6.
Next, Monfils is likely to take part in the 2025 Mallorca Championships, an ATP 250 tournament set to begin on June 23. Meanwhile, Svitolina is scheduled to compete at the Bad Homburg Open, a WTA 500 grass-court event in Germany starting on Sunday, June 22. Both tournaments will serve as important warm-up events for the couple ahead of Wimbledon.
