Gael
Monfils spoke about the positive side of not participating in
Wimbledon and
spending time with his daughter.
The
Frenchman was one of the last-minute withdrawals from the All England Club, as
he was not at 100% physically, and after a couple of complicated years due to
injuries,
Gael Monfils chose to skip Wimbledon.
The former
world No. 6 had hoped to compete in the grass-court tournament, even though he
had already withdrawn from the French Open before his second-round match against
Holger Rune. Nevertheless, Monfils displayed great form in defeating the
Argentine Sebastian Baez in the first round.
In a recent
interview with Tennis Majors, Monfils mentioned that although he couldn't be at
SW19, it worked out well for him as he got to spend some quality time with his
daughter, Skai.
"She’s
doing good, she’s growing up quite fast, actually," he said.
"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."
Gael
Monfils also mentioned that he will be away from his daughter for the next few
weeks due to his busy schedule:
"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 added.
Gael
Monfils also had words of praise for his wife,
Elina Svitolina, who had an
incredible run at Wimbledon and reached the semifinals, ultimately falling to
the eventual champion, Marketa Vondroussova. Svitolina's journey at the
tournament included impressive victories over four Grand Slam champions,
including the world No. 1, Iga Swiatek:
“It has
been an amazing month for me, watching my wife do fantastic, and I have had
quality time with my daughter as well, so you know I’m just full of energy and
really want to do well during this tour," Monfils added.
“Just proud
of my wife, to be honest,” he said about his wife run in SW19.
“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.”
