Elina Svitolina melts hearts with special moment of daughter Skai drawing 'inspiration' from Billie Jean King at US Open

Amid US Open preparations, Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina offered fans a glimpse into an off-field moment involving her and Gael Monfils'daughter Skai, who was born on Oct. 15, 2022. Svitolina recently took their daughter to Madame Tussauds in New York, where she looked at the statue of an inspirational figure.

On Monday, the Ukrainian star captured Skai looking up at the wax figure of Billie Jean King holding a Wimbledon trophy aloft. Svitolina captioned the moment:

"Inspiration for many @billiejeanking 😊."

Svitolina's Instagram story

The statue at Madame Tussauds celebrates King’s incredible tennis resume, which includes 39 Grand Slam titles, six Wimbledon singles championships. She is also well-known for her role as the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) in 1973.

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Elina Svitolina opens up about motherhood and life on tour

After giving birth to Skai almost three years ago, Elina Svitolina has balanced her life as a mother and as an elite professional tennis player on the tour. During an interview with Adidas Originals, she talked about the daunting "weight on her shoulders" to balance both types of full-time roles.

"After giving birth, it was really important for me to give myself time, It's not easy to be a professional player already, but then when you have a new family, it's something different," she said. "It gives you a lot of joy. Of course, a lot of weight on your shoulders. Just try to enjoy on the court, off the court and just go for it."

When asked if she intended to have a long career like her husband, Gael Monfils, deep into her 30s, Elina Svitolina disagreed. She spoke with honesty about her retirement plans, saying:

"No… I wouldn’t want to play that long," she said. "Because obviously, I want to have more kids. I want to just have a happy retirement and not play that much. For me, being on the tour for so many years, it can sometimes be difficult. It can be lonely. Sometimes it can have tough moments."

Motherhood has impacted Elina Svitolina's approach to fitness and nutrition. She initially chose to eat less in order to stay fit, but now she no longer sees eating as punishment.

“Now I eat for performance. Food is fuel, not punishment,” she told Women’s Health Ukraine.

On the tennis front, Elina Svitolina is coming off a quarterfinal exit against Naomi Osaka in the Canadian Open. She will next feature in the US Open women's singles event.