Every performance of the Ukrainian sensation Elina Svitolina is a testament to the passion and love she possesses for Tennis. Just last year, this WTA star and her husband, Gael Monfils, welcomed their first daughter Skai into the world, and about another 9 months later, Elina reached her first Wimbledon semifinals.
But this season she got an injury at Wimbledon and has been on the sideline for quite some time. However, her husband Gael Monfils is back and hitting the ground running with his form at the Stockholm Open and recently he reflected on lessons from his wife.
Gael Monfils shares 3 lessons he learned from Elina Svitolina
Gael Monfils has outlined three life lessons he has learned from his wife Elina Svitolina over the past couple of years. The Frenchman is currently competing in the UTS Grand Final, taking place in London this weekend. Despite that he has taken out time to write about his relationship with his wife.
Writing on his blog site, the Frenchman explained how witnessing Svitolina deal with the pressures of the invasion of her homeland Ukraine has taught him invaluable life lessons. The couple married in 2021 and already have a child together.
“There is so much value in taking a stance,” wrote Monfils. “It’s tempting to always take the middle ground and stay neutral, not risk offending anyone. And in many cases, that can be the wise thing to do. But sometimes—when it really matters to you—taking a strong position is the most powerful thing you can do, if only for yourself.”
“Standing firm for what you believe definitely opens you up to criticism, but in the end, it gives you a sense of integrity and alignment with oneself. That’s a lesson in courage that I admire so much.”
Elima Svitolina has been steadfast, calm, and fully explanatory of her reasons for and commitment to not shaking hands with Russian and Belarusian players while the war in Ukraine continues.
“Separate your struggles from yourself,” is the next lesson Monfils has learned from his wife. “From motherhood to our respective comebacks, to the pressures of public life, to her deeply personal connection to the situation in Ukraine, Elina’s shown me the art of compartmentalizing without over-identifying.”
“Her ability to keep a clear head in the chaos is amazing. One way I try to apply this to my own life is by not taking anything personally: if someone criticizes my game, or writes something rude about me online, I remind myself it’s not about me. It’s so simple, but it helps take the sting out of a stressful situation.”
Svitolina’s increased duties for Ukraine
The Ukraine Tennis Federation (UTF) has announced that Elina Svitolina will be involved in management duties for the Ukrainian women’s national team at the Billie Jean King Cup for the next four years.
Svitolina has constantly worked towards supporting and making sure that tennis in her country gets better. With this recent development, the Ukrainian women’s team will be under her guidance to help them achieve greater success at the international team competition.
Taking to social media, Elina Svitolina notified her followers about the new setup. “A new chapter in the history of the Svitolina Foundation: for the next 4 years, we will manage the Ukrainian women’s national team in the @BJKCup team tennis championships,” Svitolina wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The 2024 Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers will take place on April 12 and 13, 2024. Sixteen teams will go head-to-head across eight ties that will be played on a home-and-away basis. The eight countries will join current champions Canada, Italy, hosts Spain, and wild-card entry Czech Republic at the finals in November. Ukraine has been drawn against Romania in the qualifiers.
