Gael Monfils says he hopes to FaceTime with daughter Skai after getting first win at Indian Wells Masters 2023

Gael Monfils is returning to action at the Indian Wells Masters after being absent from the ATP tour for nearly seven months.

The Frenchman's 2022 season started well as he won the Adelaide International 1 and reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. But he struggled with injuries after that, and his season came to an end when he injured his foot during his third-round match against Jack Draper at the National Bank Open in Montreal.

Monfils missed several months of tennis but this period was a special one in his personal life as his wife Elina Svitolina gave birth to their daughter Skai.

On Wednesday, the 36-year-old said that the timing of his injury was perfect as it allowed him to be with Svitolina during the end of her pregnancy and take care of his daughter.

“Perfect timing. I say always I try to see the positive in the negative and that was almost the best timing. I could be with my wife at the end of her pregnancy and support her, because it’s never easy the last days and everything. And then of course at the beginning as a parent, taking care of the little one as a team. It was great timing for me and also very important. At the end, that’s what matters," Gael Monfils said.

"That’s life, that’s real life. To be a team there for our baby was great for me. The happiness, it’s crazy. The happiness, the love. I can be a little bit tired or unhappy with what I’m doing because I want to be perfect. But as soon as I see my daughter, everything vanishes. It’s a great feeling," he added.

Monfils is away from his daughter for the first time and often FaceTimes with her. The 36-year-old said that he hopes his next FaceTime will come after he clinches his first win at the Indian Wells, which would also be his first victory since becoming a father.

“It’s funny because it was the first time (away). It’s been five days exactly. Now she started to recognise me a little bit," he said. "It’s quite special, so I hope I will have a win under my belt and have the first FaceTime with her."

"She's obviously very motivated to come back"- Gael Monfils on wife Elina Svitolina

Gael Monfils at the 2023 Indian Wells Masters

Gael Monfils' wife Elina Svitolina has been absent from the WTA Tour for almost a year now due to back issues and later, her pregnancy.

Monfils stated that the Ukrainian is motivated to come back and wants to get back in shape quickly. He also said that the 28-year-old will soon make an announcement about her comeback date.

“She’s right there. She’s obviously very motivated to come back. It was actually crazy because she just gave birth and obviously she was super happy, but she really wants to get back very quickly in good shape. She wanted to feel that she can play again. She was worried because she hadn’t played for a long time. She picked up the racquet quite good. It was great," Monfils said.

"Now she’s practising, she’s loving it. She’s starting to move a little bit more because at the beginning she couldn’t move so much. But now it’s better and I think she has some goals, so I think she will soon say what she wants to do and when she wants to come back," he added.

Monfils will face Australia's Jordan Thompson in the first round of the Indian Wells Masters. The winner will take on second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the next round.