Svitolina Reveals How ‘Gaël The Magician’ Won Her Heart

Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina has opened up about how she met and fell in love with her husband, French tennis player Gaël Monfils, describing their relationship as an adventure that has taught her valuable lessons about love, partnership and family.

In a letter to their daughter earlier this year, Svitolina recalled meeting Monfils for the first time in New York in 2017 after a mutual friend introduced them on a practice court in Central Park.

Svitolina, who was shy at the time, said their first encounter amounted to little more than a brief “hello”.

Their relationship began a year later after Svitolina, then 24, won the WTA Finals in Singapore. She travelled to Paris to celebrate and posted about her trip on Instagram.

Monfils, who was also in Paris, saw the post and contacted her, suggesting they meet while they were both out with friends.

Although they eventually met that evening, Svitolina joked that Monfils hardly spoke to her during the night.

However, he walked her to her taxi at the end of the evening and asked whether she would join him for coffee the following day.

What began as an informal coffee date turned into an entire day exploring Paris and discussing their lives as professional tennis players.

Svitolina said she felt comfortable enough to tell Monfils about her future plans, including her desire to have children.

“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,” she wrote.

The turning point came when Monfils produced a deck of cards and offered to perform a magic trick.

After correctly guessing Svitolina’s card, he earned a kiss on the cheek — and, as Svitolina put it, introduced her to “Gaël The Magician”.

Within weeks, the pair were effectively living together, and three years after their first meeting, they married.

Svitolina acknowledged that their marriage has not always been easy, but said the challenges have taught her the true meaning of partnership.

She described herself as fortunate to share the journey with Monfils and advised their daughter to choose a partner who understands that relationships can be both enjoyable and demanding.

“And for me, that’s Gaël,” she wrote.

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