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Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils are ready to travel to Auckland for their first tournament of the new season and their daughter Skai will also be joining them. Svitolina and Monfils, who welcomed their first child in 2022 October, signed up in November to start the 2024 season in the same tournament.
This past season, Svitolina and Monfils had to make certain sacrifices as there were times when one would play and the other would stay home to take care of Skai. Since Auckland is hosting a men's and women's tournament in the same week, it is ideal for Monfils and Svitolina as they can travel together with their together.
"One more sleep and we are in NZ (New Zealand," Svitolina captioned her Instagram Story.
Svitolina, Monfils were confirmed for Auckland pretty early
In mid-November, Auckland tournament director Nicolas Lamperin announced that Svitolina and Monfils both agreed to come to the ASB Classic in 2024 January.
"She carries a lot of weight on her shoulders now, being a mum, an ambassador for the charity of the Ukrainian president (Volodymyr Zelenskyy) and being vocal about what’s happening there, and also focusing on her comeback. What she’s done this year is pretty spectacular. Coming back from pregnancy normally takes a lot longer to get back to the top level, but she’s extremely strong and motivated," Lamperin told Stuff in mid-November.
Last week, Monfils underlined that it's positive that he can play in Auckland and at the same time spend time with his family. But also, Monfils said playing in the same tournament as Svitolina is a bit stressful since it sometimes feels like playing two matches in one day.
“The good part is that we can spend more time together, especially now with our daughter, it’s so much easier. But it brings a bit more stress because we always want the other one to play good, so it’s like you play two matches, instead of one. For both of us, it’s a big help. We have huge support and we can rely on each other, so that’s a big boost," Monfils told Stuff last week.