Gael Monfils makes emotional retirement comment as him and wife win at Citi Open

Chinese tennis star Wu Yibing on his journey to ATP Tour

Gael Monfils made an emotional confession regarding the possibility of retiring from tennis soon after both he and his wife Elina Svitolina won at the Citi Open. The Ukrainian reached the semi-finals of Wimbledon in an emotional run before being defeated by eventual champion Marketa Vondrousova, after fans were left perplexed that Monfils was not in attendance at SW19 to cheer on his wife.

Monfils was absent through injury and stayed at home in order to look after their daughter and ended up missing Svitolina’s stunning win over world No 1 Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals, having already defeated Venus Williams in the first round. The Frenchman has since returned to action ahead of the US Open with preparation tournaments in Atlanta and Washington.

He reached the second round of the Citi Open on Monday night, beating American Bjorn Fratangelo 6-3, 6-4 to secure just his second tour win of the season. The 36-year-old was cheered on by Svitolina who had also advanced past Victoria Azarenka to reach the last 16.

“It’s great to be back in Washington. I love the support here. I started strong and it’s another good match under my belt,” said Monfils, who was met with a congratulatory kiss by Svitolina. “It’s a good night for both of us and hopefully we can keep it going this week.”

JUST IN Iga Swiatek accused of hurting women’s tennis with on-court fashion choice[REACTION]

Monfils did admit that his time playing professional tennis could be coming to an end sooner rather than later, insisting that Svitolina – eight years his junior – will play for longer than him.

“I feel Elina will play much longer than me,” he added. “It might be one of my last tournaments in the States. Maybe next year. We don’t know. But soon. But I may come back to support Elina with the baby. So you’ll see me around.”

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Don’t miss…
Tennis star collapses at tournament weeks after Wimbledon incident[LATEST]
WTA set to take action as Elina Svitolina holds talks over Wimbledon boos[REACTION]
Wawrinka breaks down in tears as he delivers emotional speech after losing final[INTERVIEW]

Svitolina recreated her Wimbledon victory over Azarenka on Monday, but this time there were no boos for the Belarusian when the pair did not shake hands after their match – as had been expected. The SW19 crowd were appalled when Azarenka did not offer to shake Svitolina’s hand, but the DC crowd were told in advance not to expect a handshake.

Svitolina’s run at Wimbledon attracted plenty of attention, particularly when husband Monfils was not in attendance, though she did joke that he asked for her to return mid-tournament.

“He wants me to come back because he’s really tired,” Svitolina joked after her win over Sofia Kenin in the third round.

“But it’s okay. He’s like ‘Okay, you’re playing well, so it’s okay’. So yeah, he’s enjoying [it]. He’s now home with two of our mums, as well. There is a big team taking care of Skai right now.”

Source: Read Full Article