Tennis power couple Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina have committed to play at Auckland's ASB Classic in January.
The pair married in July 2021 and Svitolina, 29, gave birth to their first child - daughter Skai - only 12 months ago.
Since returning to the WTA Tour, the former world No.3 has reached the Wimbledon semi-finals, beating top see Iga Swiatek along the way, and French Open quarter-finals, rising to a current ranking of 25th, after plummeting outside the top 1000.
Since her senior debut in 2013, the Ukrainian has won 17 titles and boasts a 65 percent winning record. Her US$22.8 million career earnings has her ranked 16th all-time.
After the Russian invasion of her native country in February 2022, Svitolina refused to play opponents from Russia or Belarus, and had to be replaced in the opening round of the Moterrey Open, an event she won two years before.
The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist has never visited Auckland before, but Monfils will make his third appearance in the men's draw, most recently reaching the semi-finals in 2013.
The Frenchman has been ranked as high as sixth in the world, with 12 ATP titles, and reached the semis at the 2008 French Open and 2016 US Open. Monfils, 37, is generally regarded as one of the most entertaining players in the game.
"Gael is an extraordinarily popular figure, who has achieved so much on and off the court, while Elina is an absolute force in women's tennis and rapidly returning to her best form," said ASB Classic director Nicolas Lamperin.
The women's tournament runs from January 1-7, with the men's event scheduled for January 8-13.
