"When I say my first date with my wife Elina was magical, I’m not kidding" - Gael Monfils

Gael Monfils recently spoke about his love for magic and revealed how he impressed his wife Elina Svitolina on their first date.

Speaking about his hobbies off the court on his official website, the Frenchman said that he'd been learning magic for several years and loved "surprising people." He even performed a card trick on his first date with Svitolina.

"I’ve been learning magic for years: illusions, close-up, mentalism. I literally always have a pack of Bicycle playing cards on me, ready to show someone a trick. (Maybe I’ll show you guys a few in a future vlog.) I think it’s my inner dreamer/entertainer—my love of surprising people. On a side note, when I say my first date with my wife Elina was magical, I’m not kidding: I did a card trick for her over dinner. (Pretty sure that’s what sealed the deal.) I’m not easily starstruck, but I might be if I were to ever meet Shin Lim or Criss Angel… Hit me up, guys," Gael Monfils said.

Gael Monfils considering taking u-turn on playing until the age of 40 following birth of daughter

Gael Monfils in action at the Madrid Open

Gael Monfils' goal of playing until he is 40 looks less likely following the birth of his daughter. The 36-year-old, however, stated that next year is going to be important, adding that the 2024 Olympics would be his last.

"I said that I would like to play until I was 40, but the longer I stay with my daughter, the more I tell myself that a little less. 2023 is an important year for me, a year of transition, between injury and big goals to be really competitive and to be in the competition to get that qualification for 2024. I wouldn't like to miss them, the Olympics, that would be my last too. It would be, I hope not my last year, maybe the year after," Monfils said in a recent interview with Canal+.

Gael Monfils has had some good moments this season, most notably reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. However, injuries hampered his progress, with the most recent coming at the Canadian Open, which eventually ended his season.

Monfils won 14 out of 21 matches in 2022, winning the Adelaide International 1 by defeating Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-4 in the final. His lack of match time saw him suffer a drop in the rankings; he is currently ranked 52nd in the world.