Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina went viral on Thursday after it was revealed she’d checked up on her husband Gael Monfils’ match while playing her own at the US Open.
However, it seems their devotion is very much a two-way street, for French tennis veteran Monfils revealed he’d also been keeping tabs on the score on his wife’s match – via a sneaky chat with the umpire – during his own match.
The couple have been married since 2021 and share a daughter, Skai, together; Svitolina has enjoyed an impressive comeback since giving birth last year – enjoying a deep run at Wimbledon and now into the third round at Flushing Meadows.
On Wednesday, she was caught on camera asking the umpire about whether Monfils’ match had started against Andrey Rublev – and admitted in the post-match interview that she had been ‘just trying to get a little motivation’ from her other half as she trailed a set down.
French tennis star Gael Monfils was told there was a video of his wife asking after him while she was on court at the US Open – and he revealed he had also checked in on her during his match against Andrey Rublev
She said she chatted to the umpire about Monfils ‘Just [to] change my head a little bit. I was not playing my best, I had to bring different energy.’
She went on to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkov and will now play Jessica Pegula.
However, when asked about whether he’d seen the clip of his wife asking after him on court, Monfils, who was knocked out yesterday by Andrey Rublev, admitted he hadn’t – but said he’d also been enquiring about his wife’s progress while on court.
Svitolina was seen asking the umpire if her husband had started playing during her own match
Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils share a kiss at this year’s DC Open in late July
He said: ‘I haven’t seen it. For me, I asked. It was 5-3 for her in the 3rd set. I said to the umpire “be discreet”. We both like to know everything’s going good.’
Svitolina, the Ukrainian former world No.3, continues her comeback after giving birth to Skaï in October 2022.
The couple announced their engagement in 2021 on social media, with the Frenchman posting a picture of Svitolina showing-off her ring in the mountains and writing: ‘She said YES. Madame MONFILS.’
The couple have been dating since 2019, and share a daughter Skai, born in October, together
Tennis stars Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils announced their engagement in 2021 after dating for two years; in October the couple welcomed their first child together
The Ukrainian and French stars shared their news with pictures of the ring in the mountains
She posted a shot of their pair together, adding: ‘YES! to the beginning of our forever.’
Monfils and Svitolina have been dating since 2019 and have become fan favourites, regularly posting to their shared ‘GEMS life’ Instagram page.
She said of dating a fellow player: ‘It’s really special to have someone who understands what you go through to get these wins, and it’s special to share these moments together.’