"Different story for our family" - Elina Svitolina rues husband Gael Monfils' Wimbledon 3R exit while she goes through to 2nd week
Elina Svitolina is making waves at Wimbledon 2024, having advanced to the fourth round after defeating the No. 10 seed, Ons Jabeur. However, her husband Gael Monfils did not share the same fortune and recently ended his Wimbledon campaign. As she entered the second week, Svitolina expressed disappointment over her partner's exit.
The 29-year-old has had a promising Wimbledon campaign so far. In the third round, she convincingly defeated Ons Jabeur 6-1 in the first set. Despite encountering challenges in the following set, Svitolina triumphed after a tiebreaker, winning the match 6-1,7-6 (7).
Meanwhile, Monfils lost to Grigor Dimitrov 3-6, 4-6, 3-6 in the third round. Despite this setback, the Frenchman was present to support Svitolina during her third-round match.
Speaking in an on-court interview after the match, the Ukrainian expressed mixed feelings, calling their respective outcomes a "different story" for the couple. However, she praised Dimitrov's exceptional performance, considering it an inspiration.
"Today was little bit of a different story for our family. For sure it was really disappointing that Gael (Monfils) lost, but I felt like Grigor (Dimitrov) played unbelievable and I was a little bit inspired by his performance yesterday," she said.
Despite Monfils' exit from the London Major, the World No. 21 appreciated having his support during the match.
"And of course with the support of Gael today here it's really amazing to have him next to me always supporting, always being there for me so it's special," she added.
Svitolina and Monfils began their relationship in 2019 and got married nearly two years later, in July 2021. In October 2022, the couple welcomed their daughter, Skai Monfils.
Elina Svitolina will face Wang Xinyu in the fourth round at Wimbledon 2024
Elina Svitolina is set to face China's Wang Xinyu in the fourth round of the grass-court major. The World No. 21 only played the Bad Homburg Open in the lead-up to Wimbledon 2024, where she faced an early exit, losing to Caroline Wozniacki.
However, the Ukranian has kicked off her Wimbledon campaign on a promising note, defeating Magda Linette, Jule Niemeier, and Ons Jabeur thus far.
On the other hand, Wang Xinyu defeated Viktoriya Tomova, Jessica Pegula, and Harriet Dart to reach the fourth round, setting up her first encounter with the 29-year-old.
With the exit of No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek from the tournament, the Ukrainian is considered one of the favorites who can eventually clinch the London Major. The winner of the clash between Svitolina and Wang Xinyu will either face Anna Kalinskaya or Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.