Elina Svitolina Tears Up Watching Gael Monfils Honored Ahead of Final French Open
Jan 20, 2024; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Elina Svitolina of Ukraine celebrates her win against Viktorija Golubic (not pictured) of Switzerland in Round 3 of the Women's Singles on Day 7 of the Australian Open tennis at Margaret Court Arena. © Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports The tennis world witnessed a touching moment on Court Philippe-Chatrier ahead of this year’s French Open. As Gael Monfils, after his long, storied 22-year career, prepares to play Roland Garros for the final time, the emotional weight of his farewell created a heartwarming scene, especially as his wife, Elina Svitolina, watched on, while she is having her own career-defining resurgence this season after winning the title in Rome.
Elina Svitolina Tears Up Honoring Gael Monfils Ahead of Final Roland Garros The Roland Garros officials organized the ‘Gael and Friends’ event to celebrate Monfils’ storied career and raise money for federation-linked charities. Monfils, the hometown hero, holds many notable records at the French Open, including the Open Era record for the most five-set match victories (12) and the most career match wins (41) by a French male player. It is statistically his most successful Grand Slam, with an overall win percentage of over 70%.
The former world No. 6 also captured 12 ATP Tour singles titles across his two-decade career. The event featured tennis royalty from both the ATP and WTA Tours, including Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka, Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Sorana Cîrstea, Belinda Bencic, and Taylor Townsend.
To maximize the fun, the players were divided into eight teams to compete in a unique mixed doubles exhibition. Monfils, ever the ultimate showman, welcomed his wife Svitolina to the court first. The Ukrainian, just like Monfils’ parents in the stands, was in tears.
In his speech after the match, Monfils said : “Once again, thanks to you all for everything you’ve given me over the years. It’s been a dream of my life. It was always a dream of mine, an objective, a goal.