Elina Svitolina found her way through to the third round at Roland Garros only hours after her husband, Gael Monfils sealed an absolute epic.
Svitolina saw off Storm Hunter 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 and stayed up past 12am to watch Monfils who was there at 11am to support her which she jokingly said he shouldn't have done.
But also she recalled watching it in her hotel room after being there for the first part and apologized to anyone in the hotel for hearing her shout late into the night.
"I was screaming in my room. If someone heard me, it’s me cheering for Gael. It’s an unbelievable match. I don’t know what he’s doing here now. I think he should be resting. I’m thankful for him for coming to support me," she said.
"There’s lots of tough moments for Gael & me. But as a family, we understand & support each other so much. We try to go through the tough moments to have moments like I had today & like yesterday for Gael. He fought with his heart."
On actually beating Hunter, she said she had to bring her best. "It was really tough to play against Storm. She came out firing winners & playing really well. I didn’t play that bad in set 1. I think she was really a better player on the court. I had to regroup, refocus, & bring my best game."
Elina Svitolina on Gael Monfils match last night: “I was screaming in my room. If someone heard me, it’s me cheering for Gael.😂It’s an unbelievable match. I don’t know what he’s doing here now. I think he should be resting. I’m thankful for him for coming to support me”
Elina Svitolina on Gael Monfils’ support: “He should be resting… but I’m really thankful for him for coming to support me… Now it’s his turn to go to the 2nd round” This level of support & love between 2 world-class athletes is heartwarming. ❤️
