There have been plenty of athlete couples in sports, but few have done what Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina have done. The two created an Instagram account to announce their relationship and have maintained the account ever since.
Monfils and Svitolina have been dating since last year and went public with their relationship in January. During an interview with ESPN’s Chris McKendry Tuesday from the site of the US Open, Monfils shared the story behind their “GEMS Life” Instagram account.
“I guess when we decided to date seriously and we had been together a couple of months, we arrived in Australia, and it was way easier for us to announce it on Instagram,” Monfils said. “The press could then see what we wanted to show. And then we had fun with it. We decided to share some moments.
“I think now social media is a big part of our job. We enjoy it and that’s why we decided to keep going on Instagram.”
The two form quite the couple in tennis. Monfils, 33, is the world No. 13 player and has reached the quarterfinals at the US Open. He has won eight career ATP titles. Svitolina, 24, is ranked No. 5 and has won 13 WTA titles. She has reached the semifinals at the US Open and is hoping to reach her first career major final.
This was their first Instagram post on the GEMS Life account, which came on Jan. 17:
The account shows them training, traveling, and enjoying life together. Their relationship also hasn’t adversely affected their playing careers as their showings at Flushing Meadows have demonstrated. Contrarily, we saw another top player’s career tank while she was in a high-profile relationship years ago.
