"The moment when I found out that Gael and I were going to have a child, the war broke out" - Elina Svitolina

Elina Svitolina recently revealed that 2022 has been both the happiest and most tragic year of her life. The Ukrainian welcomed her first child with French tennis player Gael Monfils while also dealing with the heartbreaking news of Russia's invasion of her home country.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Svitolina described how she felt "hurt" and "powerless" upon hearing the terrible news of the invasion. But she decided to take action through her foundation, raising funds to help those suffering from the war.

Svitolina posted pictures from the third edition of her foundation's charity Gala on December 2 and wrote:

"This year has been both the happiest and the most tragic for me. The moment when I found out that Gael and I were going to have a child, the war broke out in my country. Even now, I still can't fully describe what I was feeling at that moment. I felt hurt and powerless because I couldn't stop this terrible war. However, I made a decision to take action."

"On the 2nd of December, we held the 3rd edition of the charity gala. There, we raised over €240,000 for the Elina Svitolina Foundation and the United24 @u24.gov.ua program launched by Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy @zelenskiy_official. For this, I want to THANK my dear friends, guests, and partners! No matter what the future brings, we will continue to take action for Ukraine and help young talents! Glory to Ukraine."

"I got to be with Elina Svitolina every day throughout the end of her pregnancy" - Gael Monfils

Gael Monfils slides as he plays a forehand during his second-round match against Novak Djokovic in Madrid.

Gael Monfils recently stated that his injury was a "blessing in disguise" as it helped him spend quality time with his wife Elina Svitolina and their daughter Skai.

"This injury has been an incredible blessing in disguise. I’m a dad! Elina and I welcomed our first baby, Skaï, about a month and a half ago. Because of my injury, I was able to spend much more time with both her and our new daughter than I ever could have in a normal season where I was traveling, training, and playing,” Monfils said.

“I got to be with Elina every day throughout the end of her pregnancy and be there for her completely during the birth," he said. "People ask me how it feels to be a father and to be honest, I don’t really have the words. It’s indescribable, incredible love," he added.

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