Tennis players Gaël Monfils and Elina Svitolina have been engaged in a real life love-match, having been romantically linked since 2019, their love life just as tumultuous as the tennis matches they both play in.
Both the French Monfils, 38, and Ukrainian Svitolina, 30, have made their way Down Under for the Australian Open 2025.
They have both led impressive campaigns at the tournament so far after a super weekend saw them both send world number four players packing.
Today the couple are both back on the court to compete in their fourth round matches at the famous Australian Grand Slam.
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Read on to see their love story – from how they met, how they became a tennis power couple, and what culminated in an eventful first overseas trip as a family.
How did they meet?
The couple first interacted as many do nowadays, online. Though they had known of each other for a while, it wasn’t until Svitolina posted a picture of herself in Paris on Instagram that Monfils worked up the courage to shoot his shot, texting her while she was in his home country.
“We met each other and we could not split anymore. It was an amazing coincidence that both of us were in Paris in the same time because I live in London now and Gael, despite he is from Paris, lives in Geneva,” Svitolina said as per Tennis World USA.
Honeymoon phase
Both being top tennis players, their individual schedules were packed to the brim. But they still made time for each other, visiting Svitolina’s home country of Ukraine soon after playing in 2019’s Wimbledon tournament.
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“We have a packed calendar so hanging out is a luxury which we can rarely afford. But when we manage to find a free day, we go to a romantic city and we spend some time alone together. We played in different cities and in between tournaments, we met each other in Paris for 24 hours walking by streets and eating nice food,” she shared.
The couple also opened their own joint Instagram account titled G.E.M.S Life – standing for Gaël Elina Monfils Svitolina.
Trouble in paradise
The honeymoon phase didn’t last forever, though, with the pair “taking a break” from their relationship after two years of dating in a split that rivalled Kim and Kanye’s, according to a fellow player.
In a statement they both posted online, the pair said: “The decision was incredibly difficult, because we still have love for each other,” the statement said.
“But it’s just two best friends realising it’s time to take some space and help each other live the most joyous, fulfilled lives as possible.”
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But just as shockingly, the pair got back together just months afterwards, even going a step further and getting engaged.
Monfils popped the question in April, posting a photo of the ring on Svitolina’s finger to social media.
“She said YES ♥️,” he wrote, tagging his fiancée and calling her “Madame Monfils.”
The new Madame Monfils reciprocated, posting a picture of the both of them from the engagement with the caption, “YES!!! To the beginning of our forever💍🥰 .”
Their forever
The two wed just three months after they got engaged, in July of 2021, with both of them rocking purple ensembles for their nuptials. Monfils wore a purple suit whereas Svitolina wore her “dream dress”, a custom white pantsuit designed by Virgil Abloh with a purple tulle train attached to her waist.
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Though their marital status had changed, not much else did, Svitolina said at the time.
“Tennis-wise nothing really changed. We are still practising sometimes together. Sometimes we try not to talk too much about tennis,” she revealed as The Sun reported.
“For me it’s important to have someone who understands what I’m going through. I will have for sure some bad situations where I’m not feeling well off the court, you are struggling with motivation, which is normal for athletes. You are travelling so much. You’re away from home, away from your family.
“For me to have Gaël next to me it’s actually very lucky in our situation that we are both at the top of our sport so we are travelling pretty much to the same tournaments.
“That’s really lucky in a way that we found love for each other and we do the same thing. We play tennis. We have the same goals. We’re just helping each other in the way that we can help.”
Monfils reiterated the same sentiment about his beloved wife.
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“She knows that I need to feel good most of the time to deliver. She knows me quite well and she always has a good word when something comes up maybe outside of tennis or wherever to bring me back on my goal,” he said.
“At the end of the day I mostly say to people, you know, tennis, it’s something but it’s not our life. Our life is, it’s way different,” he added.
“We have so much more in common outside of tennis and that is the most important because I guess there’s so many people who share the tennis passion and I hope that’s not why she married me and that’s not why I married her. So it’s great, but it’s not the main thing.”
Welcome addition
After almost one year of marriage, the couple announced they were expecting their first born. Their baby girl, named Skai, was born in October 2022.
Basking in the glow of parenthood, the new mum and dad unfortunately had to leave their almost one-year-old behind at home as they went down to America to compete in the 2023 US Open.
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The first-time parents tried making it work with their baby at the earlier French Open, but found it was too disruptive for her schedule.
“Of course, we spend some time with her. But during the slam, it is very limited time because all the time you wake up, you go train, you have treatments, you have media, you have everything, like so many things. Then in between her naps is managing your day, your time,” commented Svitolina to Tennis Majors.
“In the end I don’t see her as much as I wish. So that’s why in the end we decided to leave her at home. We have a team who is taking care of her, as well, so she’s super safe at home – watching some matches of us playing here in States.”
For Monfils, the separation from his baby girl was unbearable. He told French media: “It’s too hard to be so far away from my daughter. This is an aspect of the job that changes things enormously. It’s a sacrifice I don’t want to make. Seven weeks without seeing my daughter is too difficult.”
He even spoke about retiring his 19-year-long career soon, hinting at it in August during the Washington Open.
“I feel Elina will play much longer than me,” he said, “It might be one of my last tournaments in the States. Maybe next year. We don’t know. But soon.
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“But I may come back to support Elina with the baby. So you’ll see me around.”
First family trip to Australian Open 2024
The family were very excited to make their first overseas family trip to Australia and New Zealand for the 2024 Australian Open. But days before they were meant to leave, Skai had to be rushed to the emergency room and stayed there for six hours, her worried parents by her side.
The family had to push back their flight date for Auckland, where Monfils and Svitolina were due to train for the Australian Open, with the question of whether Skai would be able to travel still pending.
“As all parents know, when you have your own child you have to put other events on hold if they are sick,” Svitolina penned in a column for BBC. “For a tennis player that might even mean tournaments.”
Thankfully the tot was treated and felt better within two days, with the parents deciding that the hotter climate would be good for their daughter to recover in.
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“These are the sort of things you would not think about when you don’t have a child. If a member of the team gets sick you just go anyway. Of course, it’s very different when it is your child. We would not have come if she was any worse,” said Svitolina.
The toddler enjoyed her trip in the southern hemisphere, feeding the giraffes at Auckland Zoo and dressing up in matching tennis gear with her mum at the Australian Open.
“I’m so happy that we decided to bring her here. We spent so much of a… really enjoyable time together,” she said in a press conference, sharing that her daughter has been soaking up the sunshine in the park with her grandmother and nanny.
“It is nice to have her because when you are leaving for a very long time, it’s difficult mentally. There is plus and minus in this situation, but I feel like we made the right choice this time.”
Monfils commended his wife, as well as other female tennis players who are mothers, for their strength in returning to the sport while also juggling their maternal roles.
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He said in an interview with the Australian Open, “It’s part of life, you know. As I say always, we have a beautiful sport but people forget that we are human beings. That’s our sport, our job… But we have a life. And in the life people have kids. It’s beautiful to see some woman athletes actually manage both. I think it’s great.”
US Open 2023
The couple were able to play on the same team for the first time with a charity event at the US Open in 2023.
Both of them competed in the singles draw at the American sporting event, but they also competed in mixed doubles for Stars of the Open, a warm-up charity event for the tournament, raising money for a very special cause.
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The married couple took on American duo Jennifer Brady and Christopher Eubanks, with all the players mic’d up in a fun event to raise money for Svitolina’s native Ukraine.
Though they lost 11-9, both were seen beaming after playing on the same team for the first time on the court, as well as off the court.
Australian Open 2025
Monfils and Svitolina have returned Down Under for the Australian Open 2025.
The tennis power couple have both led impressive campaigns at this year’s tournament at Melbourne Park.
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The duo had a super weekend with both sending tennis greats packing in back-to-back matches at Margaret Court Arena.
Svitolina beat fourth seed Jasmine Paolini in the third round of the women’s draw on Saturday. Hours earlier, Monfils upset fourth seed Taylor Fritz, advancing to the fourth round of the Grand Slam.
Moments after his win, Monfils joked that he had “warmed up the court” for his wife Svitolina. He then cooled down and rushed back to the court to watch his wife play her way to her own win from the coaching pod.
“It’s really a great day for us today, beating top-four players and playing great tennis,” Svitolina said of the couple’s joint success.
She also shared that she drew inspiration from her husband’s earlier win to push herself to her own victory.
“I got inspired after my husbands win,” she said to a cheering crowd during her post-match interview.
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Svitolina and Monfils fourth rounds are taking place today. Svitolina has just beat Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova in her match which has earned her a spot in the quarter final. Later Monfils will go up against American Ben Shelton and no doubt hopes to match his wife’s success.
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