"Always tell me that I'm very bad at speeches, so hopefully it's not that bad this time": Elina Svitolina makes hilarious dig at husband Gael Monfils after winning Rome
WTASaturday, 16 May 2026 at 23:00
Once again, Elina Svitolina sealed glory in Rome. It has been an eight year gap but given this is perhaps the best version of the Ukrainian star since she gave birth to Skai, it is the true barometer of how far she has come.
Svitolina sinked Coco Gauff in a three set epic of a final winning 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 and thanked her opponent after a superb match between the pair. But Svitolina who has previously had great success for the Foro Italico resumed her reign and will have her sights firmly set on winning the French Open now.
"It’s very hard to believe that it’s been eight years since I last had this trophy here. I’m very, very pleased with the week here, the two weeks here," said Svitolina during her speech as per Tennis Channel.
"Firstly, I want to say congratulations to Coco for a great tournament, and to your team as well. You’re such a great champion and hopefully we’ll have more battles in the future. Then I want to thank my team. I had a tough loss in the final in Dubai this year and it was my 19th title, so I was aiming for number 20. I told my coach that it would be nice, before I finish my career, to have a round number."
"He told me that hopefully we were going to get it this year, so I’m very, very happy. Thank you so much, guys, for putting in so much hard work. I’m very happy to hold this trophy with you."
Thanks husband but with a dose of irony
Svitolina also used her speech to thank her husband, Gael Monfils, as a big week awaits for the French showman who will play for the final time at Roland Garros. But it seems that while, of course, he is a fan of his wife, he isn't a fan of her speeches. "I also want to thank my fitness coach, who is probably watching on TV, and of course, my family, and my husband, who always tells me that I’m very bad at speeches. So hopefully it’s not that bad this time!"
"Of course, I want to thank the tournament and all the people involved in making it such a great event for us and improving it every year. I really, really enjoy coming here and playing in Rome. And of course, thank you to you guys, the fans. Over these two weeks I’ve been playing late matches and it’s been unbelievable to see you still staying up and supporting us day in and day out. It’s just unbelievable.
"You always make it very special. It’s probably one of my favourite tournaments and you make it even more special with the energy that you give the players. It’s just amazing."
Elina Svitolina has done it again!
A great week for Ukrainian tennis but a reminder of plight
It has been an incredible few weeks for Ukrainian tennis whether it was Dayana Yastremska winning a 125 tournament this week or Marta Kostyuk winning Rome and now the main star of Ukrainian tennis doing her bit, Svitolina used her speech as ever to paint light on the plight of her country.
Albeit of course unlike Kostyuk, she harbours no issue with her final opponent as was alluded to so she still mentioned Ukraine but not the crux of her speech unlike in Madrid. There Kostyuk played Mirra Andreeva who she didn't shake hands with and didn't mention in her speech.
"And of course, I want to thank all the people back in Ukraine who have been supporting me, watching at night and spending time in bomb shelters. It’s been really heavy over the past couple of weeks for Ukraine, and I want to thank you all for the support, for trying to find the matches, watching them and supporting me from far away. I feel all the love. Thank you. Slava Ukraini!"
Elina Svitolina becomes the 5th woman to win the Rome Open 3 times or more.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 16, 2026
Conchita Martinez.
Serena Williams.
Maria Sharapova.
Iga Swiatek.
𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐒𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚.
What a list. 🇺🇦💙 pic.twitter.com/vSWT63tLa7
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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- Poor sap. She dumped him with a Capital "D" !! Oh well... as long he "doesn't tell me what to do" he may survive most of this season.
mandoist15-05-2026 - Anytime your opponent blows their opportunities can be called "luck". Have to admit though, Gauff can run like hell. Ditto for Svitolina. Of course there's always that old addage: "Have to be Good to be Lucky".mandoist15-05-2026
- They should change the name 'Wildcard' to "Sponsorship Card".mandoist15-05-2026
- Unreal. The amount of luck Coco Gauff had in that last game was simply insane. Most players need 14 matches to get that lucky.
MrAndreeva12-05-2026 - Her body mass is too much for the pace of a chamopinship run. Time is catching-up to her.mandoist10-05-2026
- "Injury" seemed to have very little to do with her loss. She almost said it out loud in her presser! Anyone paying close attention could see minor 'cracks' appearing in her game since last season. It's been proven that getting side-tracked by media junkets, filming TV commercials, soaking-up the perks, and incessant 'Social' network posting leads to major distractions from the tournament grind.mandoist10-05-2026
- Blaming citizens (innocent citizens) for what their bad leaders do is not really fair. Americans are learning that lesson every day!mandoist10-05-2026
- It's a shame that the WTA is calling the wrong person into meetings and intimidating them like this. Good on the player for speaking out. You can't expect Ukrainians to put aside that Russia has been bombing them for years and is still doing so.SueC08-05-2026
- The girl needs professional help... and I don't mean sports.mandoist05-05-2026
- The way the current tennis players perform today, especially in the WTA, they should not be given any extra money. Let them boycott. They do not look like professionals. More balls land out of bounds and into the net than anything.crissy05-05-2026
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