CNN
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Elena Svitolina Storm came from behind to defeat Hunter French Open – just a day after watching husband Gaël Monfils win a brilliant game against Sebastián Báez.
Svitolina trailed her Australian counterpart 6-2 in the first set but came back in style to win the last two sets 3-6 1-6 to reach the final. Second round win
Monfils also dropped the opening set when facing Baez. The Frenchman fought back and eventually won in five sets 3-6 6-3 7-5 1-6 7-5 in three hours and 47 minutes in front of a roaring home crowd.
Monfils’ distance of play meant Svitolina’s preparations were a little more uneventful than usual, but that didn’t affect her performance.
“I watched the whole match. I was up until midnight when the match ended and went straight to bed,” the Ukrainian explained. “I actually slept well. Got a solid seven hours of sleep, which is good enough for a Grand Slam.
“He inspired me to go again today. He was there for me today. Especially on a tough day like today, he made such a big effort to come and support me. So he really made me fight and not give up and every point. motivated to play, try to give 100% effort,” Svitolina continued.
The couple married on July 16, 2021, and welcomed their daughter Skaï Monfils in October 2022. Skaï is at the French Open and Monfils has his win to his credit. It’s also the first tournament both mum and dad Monfils are playing after previous struggles with injuries.
“The first tournament for us where we’re both playing in the same tournament, and Skaï is here in Paris with us as well. It’s really, really special,” Svitolina said after her win.
“Everything is going well so far, and we really enjoy our time together off the court, and on the court as well, we try to stay focused and play as well as we can.
“Of course, it’s very important for Skaï to have a team that takes care of him, so then we can focus on tennis. And especially in such a big event with a lot of pressure and a lot of things. When walking, it’s important that your mind is calm about your baby and then your mind is 100 percent.[ing] In tennis.”
In addition to raising a child and competing in tennis Grand Slams, Svitolina also struggles with an inevitable “heaviness” on a daily basis as a result of the war in Ukraine.
“I feel anger. I feel sadness. I feel pain in my heart when I see all this. I have a couple of Telegram channels where I follow all Ukrainian news, in my hometown of Odessa, and I post news about what’s going on, when the alarm is going off, or where the missiles fell, you know, how many missiles were shot down by our Ukrainian army, the air force,” the 28-year-old said.
“I feel a mix of different feelings in these kinds of moments, but they’re bad feelings. You know, they’re anger, they’re sadness, just heaviness. It’s like the kind of heaviness I have every day. is at the core, and all Ukrainians have it. You can’t escape it, and it’s been in our lives for the last year and a half.”
The world number 192 also revealed how she uses war as inspiration to fuel her tennis exploits.
“For me, when I step into court, I just try to think about the fighting spirit that all of us Ukrainians have and how Ukrainians are fighting for their values, their freedom in Ukraine. And I, I’m fighting here on the front line, you know,” Svitolina outlined.
“I can’t be sad. I can’t be distracted in some ways. I’m just going to lose, you know. So I remember when the war started, I was in Monterrey, Mexico, and I was very, very Sad. When I walked into the court, I almost cried, like, really heavy.
“Then I thought, you know, every time I step on the court now, I’m going to go out 100% and give it my all because I’m here to do something for my country. My flag with my name on it. Yes, that’s why I’m fighting for my country, and that’s what I’m going to do every time I step on the court.”
Svitolina will wait to see who she faces at Roland-Garros in the third round while Monfils prepares to face Holger Rune in the second round.