"It's a good problem" - Gael Monfils opens up about balancing parenting his 'lovely' daughter Skai with Elina Svitolina amid Wimbledon 2024 campaigns

Gael Monfils has opened up about balancing his parental responsibilities towards his daughter Skai with supporting his wife, fellow tennis player Elina Svitolina, during her campaign at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, all while mounting his own run at the grasscourt Major.

The Frenchman made a strong start to his Wimbledon campaign, beating compatriot Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to book his place in the second round. Svitolina, meanwhile, aims to join her husband in the Round of 64 as she takes on Magda Linette in her opening match at SW19.

Joining Martina Navratilova on the Tennis Channel after his win, Monfils shed light on how he manages to parent Skai while also finding time to support his wife during her matches.

Gael Monfils emphasized that he enjoys juggling the roles of father and husband, calling it a "good problem" to have. He also expressed his gratitude for the immense support he and Svitolina receive from their respective mothers and Skai's nanny.

"I love it to be honest. It's a good problem. We had huge help from all the moms, her mom, my mom. We have a nanny. Our daughter, she's lovely. I hope she understands we've been out for a couple of hours. So far, everything works. You have a little bit time with her and of course, time to support Elina," he said.

The 37-year-old also shared that Skai has reached a milestone by starting to speak, communicating in English, French and Ukrainian, which has made for some very funny interactions.

"She's talking now. It's funny because she started to talk like English, Ukrainian and French. It's quite funny. You can interact a little bit more with her. She has some character. She knows what she wants so it's quite cool," he said.

"It's going to be challenging" - Gael Monfils on Wimbledon 2R clash against 'close friend' Stan Wawrinka

Gael Monfils (Source: Getty)

Following his win over Adrian Mannarino, Gael Monfils will take on Stan Wawrinka in the second round at Wimbledon. Monfils admitted that he is anticipating a "challenging" match against the three-time Grand Slam champion.

Referring to Wawrinka as a close friend, the Frenchman disclosed that he intends to present a "tougher" challenge to the Swiss out of his immense respect for the 39-year-old.

"It's going to be challenging. Stan, you know, no matter what, we're close friends, but he is a Grand Slam champion. He's someone that always has good words for me, helped me to believe in myself, that also means a good friend," Gael Monfils said in the same interview.

"I always have a big challenge and a big respect for him. I always want to show him that I can be as good as he is so that's why I make it a bit a bit tougher for him but that's just because I have huge respect for him," he added.

If Gael Monfils triumphs over Stan Wawrinka, he will take on the winner of the match between 10th seed Grigor Dimitrov and Shang Juncheng in the third round of the grasscourt Major.