'Our marriage is ending': Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina pens emotional note on separating from Gael Monfils
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Our marriage is ending': Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina pens emotional note on separating from Gael Monfils")
Svitolina pens emotional note on separating from Gael Monfils Photograph: (AFP)
Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils have announced the end of their marriage, citing the emotional toll of the war in Ukraine on Svitolina. They remain committed to co-parenting their daughter, Skai.
The power couple of tennis, Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, have announced the end of their marriage in an emotional Instagram post. Svitolina, who is currently No. 6 in the WTA rankings, hails from Ukraine and said that the war in her country, which began in February 2022, has taken a heavy toll on her. She had earlier quit the 2025 season before it ended, saying she was "not in the right emotional space." Svitolina and Monfils have a daughter, Skai, who is two years old.
Svitolina pens emotional note on ending marriage with Monfils
"This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to share," she wrote at the start of her message on Instagram along with a photo of herself and Monfils. "Everyone knows how much Ukraine means to me. What I have rarely spoken about is what the war has done to me inside. Last year, I told you I needed to step away from the court because I wasn’t in the right emotional space. Today, I want to open up a little more. What you didn’t see were the sleepless nights, the doubts, and the feeling of slowly losing myself.
"Gael saw all of it. He never let go of my hand. We fought through this together for a long time, with everything we had. But some battles happen deep inside you, and no amount of love from someone else can win them for you. With time, I came to understand that I need to find my way back to myself and that I cannot do that within our marriage. It is the hardest truth I have ever had to face and the hardest thing I have ever had to tell the person I love. Gael listened. He has respected what I need with a strength and grace I will never forget."
"Skai will always come first. Our marriage is ending, but our family is not. We will always be her parents, side by side, at every step of her life," she added about the couple's daughter.
Svitolina last played in a Grand Slam in September at the US Open, losing her third-round match. Her last match was on October 16, where she lost to Sonay Kartal in the quarterfinals of the Wuhan Open.
Monfils, on the other hand, last played in the US Open, where he lost to Learner Tien in the Round of 64 on September 4.
