Ahead of his final Roland Garros, Elina Svitolina pens a tribute to Gaël Monfils for their daughter, Skaï | The Players' Tribune

Dear Skaï,

A few days from now, something very special is going to happen, right here in Paris. You're only three years old, so a little too young still to know about it :) But I am writing you this letter, with the hope that one day you will read your mom's thoughts and then you will understand. You will understand why your dad means so much to so many people around the world. You will understand why his career has been such an amazing one….… and why his final Roland Garros is such a beautiful moment.

You will understand why sometimes, tennis, it's about more than just tennis.

But I will start here by telling you about the tennis itself - because when it comes to your dad and this topic, there is a lot to tell. The first thing you should know, I think, it's that Gaël Monfils was one of the greatest shot-makers anyone has ever seen. There are others who were more consistent, or who made fewer mistakes.…. but it's interesting. Because when you say why these players are great, maybe you are needing to give a long explanation. Or you are needing to show many statistics, or a whole match, or a whole tournament. But with your dad? It's not like this. With your dad, it's so simple. You can show someone a single point of his, even a single shot … and now they will "get it." Because your dad, in just one shot, one moment, he could achieve what I think few athletes ever achieve. He could make people feel something. Almost like at a concert and there's a perfect song, or at the movies and there's a perfect line, and you have this feeling like, Oh my god. WOW. It takes your breath away. I wouldn't say that sports are usually like this.…. they are competition, you know? But if you watch Gaël play, there are moments where you connect to something deeper than sports. Where you feel like, OK, tennis…… this is not just one player trying to grind another player to dust. When it's in the very best moments??? It's also magic.

And your dad was the best magician.

His creativity, his speed, his intelligence, his coordination….. and let's be honest, his cute smile :) With Gaël, you are feeling like he's putting on a magic show, just for you. And I know this not only from his tennis - but also from our first date!!! Hahaha. Let me tell you the story.

So when I was a young player in Ukraine, I knew who Gaël Monfils was just from watching on TV. Also, in the shop at our tennis center, there were many racquets for sale, and one was a Prince model with his picture on the cardboard cover. (If you would tell me back then I will end up marrying "the guy on the Prince cardboard" … I think I would say, first, that racquet is too HEAVY!!! Second, I don't believe you.) Anyway, for years he was mostly that guy to me. And then eventually I became a professional player as well, and hired a coach who was from France, like Gaël. So that's how we met: in 2017, in New York, on a practice court in Central Park, introduced by a mutual friend. But I was very shy, so it's just a hello. Then a year later, I'm 24 now, I win the WTA Finals in Singapore. And after winning, I go to Paris to celebrate, and I post about it on Instagram. (I'll explain Instagram to you another time.) Your dad sees my post, and he messages me about how he's also in Paris, and should we meet up while we're each out with our friends. So we meet up - then he barely talks to me the entire night!!! To be fair, he was sober. While I was … celebrating. Hahaha. But at the end of the night, I'm leaving the bar, and he walks me to my taxi. And asks would I would like to get coffee with him the next day. I'm like, "Sure!"

It's hard to know if our coffee was officially a date - men can be vague with these things - but I think how it was "unofficial" is part of what's nice about it. We had so much in common, as two people living an insane life in tennis, and it felt good to be able to talk in an honest way about that life. I remember I even talked about wanting kids…….. not exactly a first-date topic!!! I was like, "I'll probably play until I'm 28 or 29, then take a break and have a baby, then I'll come back and play again." I think you learn a lot about someone from what type of listener they are, and your dad was such a kind listener in that moment. I felt like I could tell him anything. What was meant to be a quick coffee ended up being an entire day … just us walking around Paris (OK, maybe it was a date) and getting to know each other.

Then, before we said goodbye, that's when I finally met Gaël The Magician.

Only speaking as your mom…….. I would not say it's always the best sign if a guy brings a deck of cards to your date. So keep that in mind for the future. But your dad was very charming, and he gave me this big smile while he took out his deck of cards and was like, "Alright, Elina. Now I'll show you a magic trick. What do I get if I guess your card?!?" I'm like, "Ehhh … I don't know … a hug." Then I feel embarrassed with my answer, so I change it to "a kiss on the cheek." Of course, once I say this, Gaël does an amazing trick and he guesses it right. So I give him a SMALL kiss on his cheek - and then the date is over. I think a few weeks later, we are basically living together.

Three years later, we are married.

And now it's almost five years after that … it's crazy to believe. We've been through so much as a couple. (And since you were born, as a trio!!!) And I feel so lucky to be on this adventure with your dad. It has not been easy all the time, actually sometimes it's been quite hard - but I think that's what marriage and partnership is about. It's a great lesson I've learned, and a great lesson for you as well….. how being someone's partner, it can be fun but also it's hard work. So you want to make sure you choose a partner who is comfortable with both. And for me, that's Gaël.

I think a lot of people who only watch your dad on the court, they'll see him as just this guy who entertains. The charismatic showman, with a colourful personality, you know? But off the court, I'd say it's very different. He's quite complex. And he has such a strong, thoughtful mind, where I always feel like he's reflecting on many things. In truth, he will more often be quiet than loud. And it's like the creativity he's put into his tennis for his playing career, when he's at home, he puts that same energy now into our family life. Whether he's playing with you outside during the day, or reading to you before bed at night, or taking classes he will be able to use in his next career … I think he is always doing the little things to comfort our trio in some way.

Sometimes the comfort I've needed has been not so little. Only months after our wedding, so it's in the early stages of my pregnancy with you, there is a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is not only my home country, but it's also where my family was at the time. And it's hard even to explain how scary it was, just trying to wrap my head around things, and locate your grandparents to get them out to safety. But I'll tell you what: It's moments like this where you really find out if someone has your back. Because there is support - the kind like "oh, honey, I'm here for you" - and then there is support. And with your dad, it's like, he doesn't go halfway. He's not just having my back, he's actually my partner in this. As if it's his own country dealing with tragedy, and as if his own parents were in danger. Us tennis players, let's be honest … we're good at being alone. But if there is one nice thing I can remember from this awful time, it's how Gaël made me feel the opposite of alone. He made me feel like I'm on a team.

Unfortunately, I think one of the reasons your dad has such a high character, and such a human perspective, it's that he's someone who's been through a lot in life - especially as a Black man in France, and in a sport like tennis. This was one of our first conversations we had as we started dating. He spoke about tournaments he entered as a young player, under 10 years old, where they're at certain clubs and they won't let him in because of the colour of his skin. This made my heart break, and it made me so angry. But it also gave me so much admiration for the journey he's been on. Honestly, Skaï, I hope that when you read this, it will seem impossible to believe something like that ever happened … but I think it's in the world even now, just different versions, which I've definitely seen from some of the reactions to your dad and me as a mixed-race couple. I'm always blown away by how he handles this stuff - it's with such grace. And when I wonder about your own experiences you'll have as a mixed-race child, then as a mixed-race woman, I know how grateful I am that Gaël is your father. There is no one I trust more to help you navigate the world.

And then finally, of course, I have to bring it back to the tennis!!!

Sometimes with your dad, it's like he is such a beloved person, you know, with so many qualities worth celebrating….. that I think it can be forgotten to talk enough about the TENNIS. And to say that his tennis on its own is worth celebrating, it's a big understatement.

What a player.

As I mentioned, statistics will not capture his whole unique greatness … but let me give you just a few: 21 straight years with winning a singles match in a Grand Slam. The most Grand Slam singles matches won by a Frenchman. 14 Davis Cup nominations, with a 12–3 record, and two runner-up finishes. Four times representing France in the Olympics, including at the Paris Games in 2024 (which I know moved Gaël very deeply). 19 straight years with making it to at least one ATP final, one of five players ever to do this. 13 career ATP titles. ATP Newcomer of the Year, at age 19 … a career-high ranking of world No. 6, at age 30 … an ATP title at age 38, the oldest player in tour history to win one at the time (although he hates it when you call him old!!! Hahaha). And such a rich history at Roland Garros. Winning the juniors title in 2004. Then making the semifinals in this memorable run in 2008. And now, all these years later, entering his last main draw tied for the most Roland Garros matches won by a Frenchman. It's remarkable.

But out of everything that I hope you will one day understand about your dad's playing career, I will end with the thing that I consider most important. And it has to do with how, for so much of his time on tour, people have tried to change him to fit their idea of what he "should" be. They have said, oh, Gaël must play more in this style, or this style, or he must tweak his game in such and such a way, or he must seem more serious……… and if he does this, then maybe he will win a Grand Slam.

So often in tennis, the conversation is on winning Grand Slams - it's about getting those results. And this was true especially for your dad's generation, coming up with players such as Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, where they're almost like machines. Slam after slam, they're champions. And of course many people in France always wanted one of the French men from this generation to be champion. So when it didn't happen, I think there were these feelings like, OK, well, it's time to be critical … because there must be a reason. So then they would talk about your dad's results in a certain way.

But the truth is, there was always so much those people didn't know about your dad. They didn't know his unbelievable dedication, his 1000% maximum he put in day and night, his sacrifice to get where he was. They didn't know how seriously he took the responsibility of representing his country, and wanting to do well for them. And I think the biggest thing they didn't know … it's almost like this secret your dad figured out. Not enough people know this secret. But your dad showed it to me, so now I'll tell it to you. The secret is: Life, it's actually not about just adding up our results. Life is about so much more than this!!! It's about who we are, and who we become, on the way to these results.

It's about the experiences we are able to have, the relationships we are able to build, the feelings we are able to inspire and share. It's about staying true. Does this make sense, what I'm saying? Because to me, with your dad … when I think of his career … more than anything else, I think of that. How he always, always, always stayed true. To his own path. To his own style. To his own identity. To his own beliefs. To his joy for the game … his respect for the game … his love for the game … and even simply to the game itself. And I hope that when people talk about his impact on the game, everywhere but especially here at Roland Garros, it's what they say.

I hope they say, Gaël Monfils, there wasn't another one like him.

Gaël Monfils, he meant so much to tennis … but also something so much deeper than tennis.

Gaël Monfils, he stayed true.

This article was originally published on ThePlayersTribune as Your Dad, the Magician.

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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 1:46 AM.