Melbourne - Elina Svitolina revealed Thursday she is dating French star Gael Monfils after he was spotted in her player box at the Australian Open and expressed surprise after being questioned about it during an on-court interview.
The Ukrainian, seeded six, powered into round three with a 6-4, 6-1 thrashing of Viktoria Kuzmova, but fans on social media seemed more interested in her love life.
She was asked on court about Monfils and said he was "supporting me", which sent Twitter into overdrive.
The 24-year-old later confirmed in a press conference that "we are dating" and said she was taken aback by the interest.
"We are here for tennis, so that's why it was a bit strange," she said.
"I didn't really expect to be asked that (on court) because I just finished my match.
"He's there for me, he's supporting me, and I'm there for him as well," she added.
"He understands, I understand, what we're going through. It's great."