Monfils left inspired by his wife Elina Svitolina's success: "I feel like a champion right now"

French tennis star Gael Monfils has revealed that he is inspired by the success of his wife Elina Svitolina.

The 28-year-old went as far as the semifinal of the recently concluded Wimbledon 2023 where she lost to eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-3.

During her route to the semis, Svitolina defeated the former world number one Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka in the round of 16 and the current world number Poland’s Iga Swiatek in the quarterfinal.

Monfils, who himself played in the semifinal of the Grand Slam twice — in the French Open (2008) and the US Open (2016), heaped praise on his wife and stated that he was proud of her achievements.

“Just proud of my wife, to be honest,” he said. “How much work she has put in to be at that level. How much discipline she had. I was amazed by her strength, mentally, in some matches, to turn them around and then come back for her next match – I was proud and inspired. This is why I feel like a champion right now.”

Monfils further went on to talk about the precious time he is spending with his daughter by saying: “She’s doing good, she’s growing up quite fast, actually. You are at home, but it’s a privilege to spend quality time as well, at home with your child. It can never be too much. It’s going to be a few weeks without her and it’s gonna be tough, but I feel like we will have more time in a few weeks.”

Monfils’ form has been on a decline in the recent past where he has found it hard to register big wins. In the year 2023, the Paris-born has only managed to win four out of 16 matches played with a win percentage of just 25.