Elina Svitolina delightedly reacts to husband Gael Monfils' basketball-like smash as she cheers him on from afar during his Vienna campaign

Elina Svitolina was thrilled as her husband Gael Monfils put on a show for the Vienna crowd at the 2024 Erste Bank Open. Despite her absence, the fellow tennis player cheered him on to victory in the opening match.

Monfils is in Vienna for the ongoing ATP 500 event. He advanced to the second round with an impressive 7-6(5), 6-3 victory over fellow Frenchman Quentin Halys on Tuesday, October 22. The 38-year-old produced age-defying tennis to secure the win in straight sets. In the sixth game of the second set, Gael Monfils uncorked a spectacular aerial overhead smash, drawing rapturous applause from the crowd.

His wife of three years, Elina Svitolina, who wasn’t present in the players’ box, watched the match from afar and showed her appreciation for his shot by acknowledging it on social media. She likened the smash to a slam dunk in basketball.

Check Elina Svitolina’s reaction below:

Elina Svitolina on Instagram

Gael Monfils is chasing his 13th career title and first of the season. Before his campaign in Vienna, he competed at the Shanghai Masters, losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round. He decided against contesting in the recently concluded Stockholm Open where he was the defending champion.

Following his win against Halys, Monfils is set to take on young icon Lorenzo Musetti in the Round of 16 on Thursday, October 24. Interestingly, the Frenchman has maintained a staggering 19-year-long streak of reaching at least one ATP final each season.

With the season nearing its end, Gael Monfils, who hasn’t made the podium in 2024, faces a race against time to keep the streak alive. As a former finalist in Vienna (2008), the former World No. 6 would hope to make a deep run at the tournament yet again.

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While Gael Monfils continues 2024 campaign, wife Elina Svitolina's run ends prematurely

Svitolina pictured at the 2024 US Open - Image Source: Getty

While Gael Monfils has continued his pursuit of a 13th career title, his wife Elina Svitolina was forced to call time on her 2024 campaign due to a prolonged foot injury.

The Ukrainian tennis player, who is presently spending time with her and Monfils’ two-year-old daughter Skai, was last in action at the 2024 US Open, where she reached the third round. Weeks later, she underwent foot surgery to correct the issue.

Svitolina had her husband by her side as she documented her hospital stay. The World No. 26 has since provided positive updates about her recovery. She also recently shared a clip of her “first steps.”