French tennis star Gael Monfils sees an inspiration when he looks at his wife Elina Svitolina as he admitted he went to Indian Wells and Miami only because his wife decided to play those events.Ā
In late February, Russia launched their attacks on Ukraine.Ā
The past month and a half has been extremely tough for Svitolina but still she decided to play the Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami.Ā
In Indian Wells, Monfils admitted “it’s not easy to see my wife a couple of weeks ago crying every night.”
Had Svitolina decided to stay home, Monfils wouldn’t have gone either as he would stay by her side.Ā
“I am in awe of my wife. Frankly, it is thanks to her that I play. In all transparency, if she hadn’t gone to Indian Wells and Miami, I wouldn’t have gone there either. I can’t even figure out how she could play. It’s exceptional to find so much energy, will in moments like this. Hats off! I tell her every time I follow her example. She has exceptional abilities in life,” Monfils told Le Parisien, as revealed on We Love Tennis.Ā
Svitolina announced a break after the Sunshine Double
“Itās been an extremely difficult couple of months for me, not only mentally but also physically,” Svitolina wrote on Instagram. “For a quite long time Iāve been struggling with my back. The pain didnāt let me prepare for the tournaments at my best. Meanwhile, observing with unbearable pain in my heart what is happening in my homeland Ukraine and with how much bravery and courage our Ukrainian people are defending our country, this gave me a huge push to continue and fight on court. Now, my body canāt handle it anymore and I need to rest. Therefore, I’m sad to announce that I will be missing Fed Cup and few of my favorite tournaments in Europe. But Iām sure, I will see you around soon.”