Elina Svitolina tells how Gael Monfils helped her tennis comeback

• Tennis News
• WTA Tennis

Elina Svitolina admits having Gael Monfils by her side made it easier for her to come back to tennis. Svitolina and Monfils welcomed their first child in October. Svitolina, who played her last tournament of the 2022 season in Miami, made her return to tennis last week in Charleston.

While Svitolina was sidelined and focused on her pregnancy, Monfils was also dealing with injury problems as the Frenchman appeared in just two tournaments after 2022 Miami. But after Svitolina gave birth, she turned her focus on getting ready for a tennis comeback.

“This winter we both prepared ourselves to come back and compete and it was great because we motivated each other. It's important to have someone who understands your goals," Svitolina told the ITF website.

Svitolina enjoyed her tennis return

Last week, Svitolina delivered a big fight before losing to Yulia Putintseva in the Charleston first round.

This week, Svitolina opted to compete at an ITF event in Chiasso, where she clinched her first win as a mother after beating Gabriela-Elena Ruse 6-4 6-2. "The feeling of returning to the court in Charleston was fantastic, I had missed it.

Chiasso is a perfect tournament to play good matches and regain continuity, but I will take the tournament one match at a time. Since January I have been back in training with the goal of returning as soon as possible and I have been working on clay for two months knowing that most likely my first matches would coincide with this time of the season," Svitolina said.

After competing in a few ITF events, Svitolina plans to play at a WTA 1000 event in Rome and the French Open. “I love everything about that tournament (Rome). I will try to do well there and at Roland Garros. [As for ranking goals], my tennis has priority – the ranking will be a [result] of the level I can express," Svitolina said.