Elina Svitolina on daughter Skai: “Maybe one day, you’ll see her at Roland Garros playing tennis”
Ukrainian tennis professional Elina Svitolina recently talked about the possibility of her daughter playing at Roland Garros in the future.
Svitolina, 28, is married to French professional tennis player Gael Monfils. The duo got engaged in 2019 and tied the knot in 2021. Last year, on October 15, the couple welcomed their first child - a girl whom they named Skaï Monfils.
Svitolina is currently plying her trade at the 2023 French Open. In the opening round of the tournament, she beat 26th seed Martina Trevisan 6-2, 6-2.
Despite playing in her first Grand Slam tournament since the 2020 Australian Open, Svitolina needed just over 60 minutes to defeat the 2022 French Open semifinalist. While speaking to the media after her first-round win, Svitolina delved into the possibility of her daughter Skai following in the footsteps of her parents and picking up tennis. She thinks that her daughter could one day end up playing in the French Open.
Svitolina also expressed happiness at making a comeback and regaining her top level.
"Our baby is half French & Half Ukrainian, so now we are like French-Ukrainian family. Maybe one day, you’re gonna see her here [Roland Garros] playing some tennis. It’s gonna be fun for her. It is really special to come back and play again at such a high level such as Roland Garros," Svitolina said.
Elina Svitolina says maybe you’ll see her & Gael Monfils’ daughter play at Roland Garros one day:
“Our baby is half French & Half Ukrainian. Maybe one day you’re gonna see her here playing some tennis. It’s gonna be fun for her” 🥰
https://t.co/bhgmimapZ8
The three-time French Open quarterfinalist further thanked the fans and supporters for their support. She also expressed her excitement about playing in the second round of the Grand Slam.
"Thank you so much for coming and supporting me and for sure, you know it is extremely special for me to get first win of the Grand Slam here at the Roland Garros. I always have an amazing memory playing here in front of great people and great fans. I am really happy with the way I played today and, yeah, looking forward to the next one," the Ukrainian added.
Glad to have you back, @ElinaSvitolina 😁
#RolandGarros https://t.co/nvIPGvpP3Y
Elina Svitolina to take on Storm Hunter in 2R of the French Open
Elina Svitolina will take on Australia's Storm Hunter in the second round of the Paris Major. The 28-year-old Hunter earned her main draw spot by going through the qualifers, and beat Nuria Parrizas-Dias in the first round of the tournament.
The Australian's win over the Spaniard was her first Grand Slam main draw win. Hunter had lost all of her seven previous main draw matches at Majors.
Last week Elina Svitolina won her first WTA trophy since embracing motherhood, beating Russia's Anna Blinkova 6-2, 6-3 to win the Strasbourg Open. That was Svitolina's 17th career title overall.