"If I hadn't met Elina I would have retired a long time ago" - Gael Monfils speaks on the impact Elina Svitolina had on his career

Frenchman Gael Monfils is one of the oldest players on tour, and the fan-favorite recently admitted he would have hung up his tennis racket years ago were he not motivated by his wife, WTA star Elina Svitolina.

The duo made their relationship public in 2019, before getting married in 2021. They have a daughter, Skai, who was born in October 2022, although Svitolina has since returned to being a professional player while juggling duties as a mother.

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Motivation was hard to find during the pandemic, says Monfils

During the covid pandemic, Monfils admitted he found it difficult to focus on tennis with so much going on in the world. The former World No.6 stated he could not focus due to the lack of crowds in stadiums and considered retirement. However, it was his wife who motivated him, and her strength during her pregnancy inspired him to keep playing.

"During Covid, tennis wasn’t for me with its empty stadiums, it didn’t motivate me," said Monfils in the latest episode of his "Talk Show" on YouTube. "Then later I found pleasure again with Bresnik and while I was coming back strong I injured my foot. That was really hard. 7 months away from the courts and especially a ranking that was falling.
"But there again Elina knew how to find the words, she explained to me that she was going to come back after her pregnancy, that I could do it too. She rekindled the flame as they say and it’s clear that if I hadn’t met Elina I would have retired a long time ago."

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