"We want her to stay home for health reasons" - Elina Svitolina on why her and Gael Monfils' daughter Skai isn't with them at Citi Open

Elina Svitolina has divulged that she and her husband Gael Monfils have decided to leave their daughter Skai at home, citing her health concerns.

The Ukrainian and her husband are currently in Washington, competing at the 2023 Citi Open. Svitolina beat Daria Kasatkina in the second round of the tournament. Monfils, meanwhile, got the better of sixth seed Alexander Bublik in the second round of the men's category.

Talking to the press after her win over Kasatkina, Elina Svitolina was asked about the whereabouts of her daughter Skai Monfils. The Ukrainian replied that her baby girl is at home and not traveling with either of the parents for health reasons.

"No, she's at home. We want her to stay home for the health reasons. Health is No. 1 priority for us. It's really challenging," she said.

Svitolina added that playing on the tour requires a lot of traveling and is hence stressful. She further stated that the couple does not intend to expose all the stress and tension of traveling to their daughter yet.

"We know how tiring it can be to travel that much. Tennis requires a lot of traveling, flying, and all this stress. You know, you're not sleeping in your bed, you are constantly, you know, doing something and different places. So we don't want to stress her right now at the beginning," she added.

Svitolina went on to add that they are spending time with their daughter by FaceTiming her. She highlighted that although the situation is tough for them, they have no choice as Skai's health is their priority.

"For sure it's extremely tough for us. We were FaceTiming this morning with her and she was super happy. Then she was looking behind the phone, you know, where we are (smiling) and we are not there. It's really sad for us, but, you know, we have to put the priority on her health," she added.

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Elina Svitolina advances to the quarterfinals of the Citi Open 2023

Citi Open - Day 5

Elina Svitolina qualified for the quarterfinals at the 2023 Citi Open in Washington. The Ukrainian will next take on either Jessica Pegula or Peyton Stearns for a place in the semifinals.

The 28-year-old kicked off her campaign against Victoria Azarenka. Up against the Belarusian, Svitolina recovered from a shaky start to defeat Azarenka 7-6(2), 6-4.

The two earlier played at Wimbledon 2023, where Svitolina emerged victorious as well. After not shaking hands with Svitolina due to the Russia-Ukraine war, Azarenka was infamously booed by the crowd.

In the second round of the Citi Open, Elina Svitolina beat Daria Kasatkina 6-2, 6-2. It was her seventh successive win over the Russian. The two first played in 2016, and since then, Svitolina has won all of their encounters.