Fanny Mazalon
01/13/2025 at 12:40
There are events that disrupt the course of a life, for Gaël Monfils, it is the birth of his daughter. In a recent interview, the athlete spoke about this paternity.
This Saturday, January 11, Gaël Monfils officially became the oldest athlete to win a tournament on the main circuit since 1977 with his victory at the ATP 250 in Auckland. At 38, the French tennis player is far from retiring, especially since the birth of his daughter on October 15, 2022, a new boost in his career.
In the columns of “Parisien” this weekend, the sportsman recounted his new life alongside Skaï, his little daughter, just two years old. Born from the marriage between the two lovers of the yellow ball, Gaël Monfils and Elina Svitolina, the little girl has become a new source of joy but also of motivation for athletes.
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Still too young to realize her father’s influence in the world of tennis, little Skaï already has a place reserved in the stands. “I would like her to see me play, to understand. There, she doesn’t understand. Deep down, I wish she could experience that. It’s certain that she will see her mother play but we don’t know about her father… I haven’t talked too much about this feeling with the other players who have children, but when I see that LeBron James’ dream , it was playing with his son, it’s magnificent! »
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Gaël Monfils, the pride of his daughter
Through the young eyes of Skaï, Gaël Monfils wants to show himself big and strong, to be a source of pride. The birth of his daughter transformed him, aware of the issues linked to his age: “I know that with the slightest injury, it will be over for me”. This desire to be seen on the pitch by your daughter is just an additional source of motivation and concentration.
The arrival of his first child nevertheless represents a certain weakness for the athlete who confided to “L’Equipe” in August 2023 (during his participation in the US Open) that he was finding it increasingly difficult to leave the house. and moving away from his child to practice his profession: “I won’t do it again because it’s hard. Mentally and physically, but especially mentally. It’s so hard to be so far away from my daughter. It’s an aspect of the job that changes things enormously”
