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French tennis star Gael Monfils recently said it was a privilege to spend time with his daughter during his absence from the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
Monfils missed Wimbledon 2023 due to a wrist injury, which he sustained during his brief time at the 2023 French Open. The former World No. 6's injury forced him to give a walkover to Holger Rune in the second round at Roland Garros.
In a recent interview with Tennis Majors, Gael Monfils said that missing Wimbledon worked out well for him as he could 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 further said it was going to be a tough few weeks as he would be without her.
"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.
The 36-year-old also said he was full of energy and that he hoped to "do well" on the tour. He added that he was happy to see his wife, Elina Svitolina, doing great at Wimbledon.
“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," Gael Monfils said.
En route to her Wimbledon run, Svitolina defeated four former Grand Slam winners - Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka, and Iga Swiatek. The 28-year-old eventually lost to Marketa Vondrousova in the semifinals of the tournament.
Monfils married Ukraine's Svitolina on July 16, 2022, a few months after getting engaged. The couple also embraced parenthood when the Ukrainian gave birth to a baby girl, Skai Monfils, on October 15, 2022.
"Just proud of my wife, to be honest" - Gael Monfils heaps praise on wife Elina Svitolina
Gael Monfils was in awe of her wife Svitolina's performance during Wimbledon. The Ukrainian raised quite a few eyebrows as she beat World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, among others, to reach the semifinals of Wimbledon, just months after giving birth to her daughter.
Speaking in the same interview, Monfils expressed his admiration for his wife and her impressive Wimbledon run. Elaborating further, the veteran said he was proud and inspired by what his wife did at the prestigious Grand Slam tournament.
“Just proud of my wife, to be honest,” Monfils said. “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."
Gael Monfils also gave an update on his wrist injury. He said although he is healing quickly, it is important to be very careful regarding his injury.
“I feel much better,” he said. “That’s why I’m here actually. You know how it is when you come back, you still have to be very careful, so I need to tape my wrist to be sure, and do my rehab.”
