On Saturday, Gael Monfils defeated Belgium's Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the 2025 ASB Classic in Auckland. His wife Elina Svitolina reacted to the Frenchman's historic feat of becoming the oldest man to win an ATP title, surpassing Roger Federer.
On his way to the title, Monfils beat Pedro Martínez, Jan-Lennard Struff, Facundo Díaz Acosta, and Nishesh Basavareddy. After the match, he showed his love for his daughter, Skai, by writing her name on the camera.
Svitolina celebrated her husband's victory by sharing a picture of him at the dining table after serving him Borscht, a traditional Ukrainian soup made with beets, cabbage, potatoes, and other vegetables. She attested to his recent momentum in three words:
"Powered by Borscht," with a 'big grin' emoji.
At 38 years and 132 days, Gael Monfils has surpassed Roger Federer to become the oldest player to win an ATP title. The 20-time Grand Slam champion clinched his final ATP title at the Swiss Indoors in Basel in 2019 when he was 38 years and 74 days old.
After his victory over Zizou Bergs, Monfils celebrated by writing his daughter Skai's name on the camera.
Monfils and Svitolina married in 2021, celebrating in a glamorous wedding ceremony in Geneva. The couple welcomed their daughter, Skai, in October 2022. Six months after giving birth, Svitolina returned to the WTA tour in April 2023.
Gael Monfils - “Age is a number, but we keep working”
Following his victory over Zizou Bergs, Gael Monfils said in his on-court interview that age is just a number, expressing his optimism about continuing to play "high-quality tennis":
“It means a lot [to win]. Age is a number, but we keep working. I keep believing that I can play high-quality tennis and I have been showing it this week so I am very happy. My first title was 20 years ago. I still have the passion to play tennis. I feel I still strike the ball very well. Hopefully, many more to come.”
Monfils was also asked how he felt about winning the title as a father. He responded:
“She might just wake up now. It’s my second final as a dad and I’m really happy, super happy. Let’s say that I could win a tough final.”
The Frenchman won his first ATP title in 2005 at the Orange Warsaw Open, defeating Florian Mayer. Since then, he has gone on to win 12 titles on the ATP tour including the ASB Classic.