Gaël Monfils Honored by Wife Elina Svitolina Before His Final French Open

Last week, Elina Svitolina penned an open letter to her three-year-old daughter, Skaï, in The Player’s Tribune. Svitolina’s message paid tribute to her husband, Gaël Monfils, ahead of his final appearance at the French Open in Roland-Garros.

Monfils, 39, had revealed his intention to retire by the end of the 2026 tennis season in an Instagram post last October. Svitolina’s letter emphasized Monfils’ unique ability to connect with people through his performances. ‘Because your dad, in just one shot, one moment, he could achieve what few athletes ever achieve. He could make people feel something,’ she wrote.

Monfils was defeated in the first round of the French Open by Hugo Gaston, a fellow French player, in a grueling five-set match. After the match, Monfils expressed deep gratitude to Svitolina. ‘I would like to thank my wife because without her, I wouldn’t be here tonight,’ he said, with the translation provided by Bastien Fachan. ‘We’ve been together eight beautiful years. You have supported me, raised me up, loved me, and given me the greatest gift in our daughter. I love you.’

Svitolina, fresh off a victory at the Italian Open which ended an eight-year title drought, looked on, visibly moved.

Monfils later shared with the press that his team requested a wild card for Wimbledon. ‘I feel like a lot of guys deserve it more than me, so I’ll wait and see. But, hopefully, I’ll play Wimbledon,’ he remarked.

In January 2025, Monfils made history as the oldest player to win an ATP Tour title at Auckland, according to ESPN. Over his career, he has secured 13 tour titles, with his best performance at Roland-Garros occurring when he reached the semifinals in 2008, where he was defeated by Roger Federer.