"They gave it to me" - Gael Monfils steals wife Elina Svitolina's Tokyo Olympics bronze medal, jokingly claims it as his

Gael Monfils had a funny moment with his wife, Elina Svitolina when he stole her Tokyo Olympics bronze medal. He wore it around his neck and joked that he was the one who won it.

Svitolina became Ukraine's first Olympic tennis medalist by winning bronze in the women's singles category in Tokyo. She secured the medal with a gritty three-set victory over Elena Rybakina, finishing 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 in a match lasting two hours and 24 minutes.

On Tuesday, December 3, Monfils shared a funny Instagram reel where he jokingly claimed that "they" had awarded him the Olympic bronze medal, which belonged to his wife. He playfully showed off the medal while bantering with her.

“How much was it? How much was it?” Elina Svitolina asked.

“They gave it to me,” Gael Monfils replied.

Svitolina: “So you're not gonna tell me how much was it?

Monfils: “Okay, they gave it to me.”

Svitolina: “I don't believe you!”

Monfils: “Why?”

Svitolina: “How are they gonna give you something like that?”

"My wife looks super professional... And I don't" - Gael Monfils on being compared to Elina Svitolina

Gael Monfils pictured at a press conference | Image Source: Getty

Gael Monfils once dropped to 394th in the ATP rankings, leading to comparisons with his wife, Elina Svitolina. Unlike Svitolina, who has maintained consistency, Monfils has struggled with it throughout his career.

In an interview with The Guardian in May 2024, the Frenchman said:

"Some people try to compare my wife and I. My wife looks super-professional in a way and me I don’t look professional in a way. But that’s not really the case because I have my work ethic. I’m working. It’s funny but in the end, it’s not hurting me."

Monfils added that his on-court personality often led people to misunderstand him. However, at 38, he remains determined and hardworking, aiming to prove himself.

"Let's say you don't really know me, I call you and you've heard a lot of stories, you've seen my personality on the court. It’s tough [to believe] when I tell you I wake up at seven, I run for two hours, that I can do this work. It’s like this. ‘Yeah, I do it,'" the Frenchman said.

Despite that, Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina have continued to thrive as a couple. With their daughter, Skai, who turned two this year, they remain a happy family, sharing their adorable moments on social media.