In Pictures: Elina Svitolina and daughter Skai enjoy adorable play date in the snow ahead of Christmas holiday

Ahead of Christmas, Elina Svitolina stepped out for a fun play date in heavy snowfall with her daughter, Skai. The latter, now two years old, often features in her parents' social media posts.

French player Gael Monfils and Ukrainian Svitolina often crossed paths during tournaments but never sparked a conversation until the latter won the WTA Finals in 2018. After her win, she touched down in Paris to celebrate with her friends when Monfils also met her for the first time.

After dating for some years, the couple got engaged on April 3, 2021, and tied the knot on July 16. The Monfils share a daughter Skai, born on October 15, 2022.

Recently, Elina Svitolina shared a picture carousel on Instagram, chronicling a fun day out in heavy snowfall with her daughter. Their pet Cuddles accompanied the mother-daughter duo.

"naughty vs nice play date," the caption read.

Svitolina has amassed 17 WTA Tour singles titles, including three Major singles semi-final appearances in her career. Her repertoire also includes an Olympic singles bronze medal from the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Her husband Gael Monfils, a promising player from France, has a career-high ranking of No. 6. He has two major semi-final appearances and three ATP Masters 1000 finals, among other accolades. With over 550 career match wins, he is eighth among active players for most wins.

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Elina Svitolina once received praise from her husband Gael Monfils for her strong tennis comeback

Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina at the Paris Saint Germain v Olympique Lyonnais - Ligue 1 Uber Eats - (Source: Getty)

Early in 2022, Svitolina announced a break from tennis due to pregnancy. While away from the court, the 30-year-old was involved in several charity events to raise funds for her homeland Ukraine. She also raised money for her foundations, United24 and UNICEF Polska with Iga Swiatek and Agnieszka Radwańska.

The Grand Slam semi-finalist gave birth to her daughter later in 2022 and returned from her break in 2023, recording back-to-back strong finishes in the ITF Women's World Tennis tour and WTA tour. In awe of her determination and resilience, Gael Monfils praised his wife in a press conference after the 2024 Miami Open.

"She’s a great mother first. That’s first. People want to put tennis first but I think she’s a great mother first. This is the most important for me as her husband because of course we are a tennis couple but life is beyond our sport. She’s an excellent and great mother and as you said she managed it well on the court. I’m surprised how well she came back, how strong she is mentally and physically. It’s just amazing," he said (via Tennis Majors).

Svitolina hasn't competed after the US Open where she lost in the third round to Coco Gauff in three sets.