Svitolina & Monfils To Start 2024 Season At ASB Classic In Auckland

| by Evita Mueller

Husband and wife Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina will both play at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where they'll kick off their 2024 season.

Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils had exciting 2023 campaigns. On the one hand, Svitolina was amazing, making some incredible runs and earning the respect of the whole tennis community by doing that. Monfils didn't play as well but hit some solid peaks at different times of the year.

There are a couple of things important for him to do in 2024, one of which is the Olympics, so the start of the season will be crucial for him. He'll begin in Auckland together with his wife, as they both signed up for it.

Tournament director Nicolas Lamperin confirmed it and spoke about Monfils particularly, whom he knows really well.

He knew he could still play at that level, but the big difference was to show it on court. He had been feeling really good at practice, but in the first few months probably made some scheduling mistakes by being willing to play Challengers in different conditions and it’s always tough for the top Tour players to play down, because everything is different and the level is competitive.

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His objective was to get back into the top 100 by the end of the season. Also, he’s in the right position now to qualify for the Olympics, because he needs to be amongst the top four French guys. He knows the next few months are going to be important because he needs to score as many points as possible, which is why Auckland made a lot of sense for him.

When it comes to Svitolina, Lamperin praised everything she did in 2023, especially because of everything else she did.

She carries a lot of weight on her shoulders now, being a mum, an ambassador for the charity of the Ukrainian president (Volodymyr Zelenskyy) and being vocal about what’s happening there, and also focusing on her comeback. What she’s done this year is pretty spectacular. Coming back from pregnancy normally takes a lot longer to get back to the top level, but she’s extremely strong and motivated.

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