Photo: EPA
Ukraine’s top-ranked tennis player Elina Svitolina has announced her separation from French tennis player Gaël Monfils. The couple married in Switzerland in 2021.
The 32-year-old Ukrainian shared the news in a statement on Instagram, describing it as the most difficult thing she had ever had to share. She said the war in Ukraine had significantly affected her family life and that emotional instability, sleepless nights and doubts had left her feeling she was losing herself.
“Gaël saw all of this. He never let go of my hand for a single moment. We fought this together for a long time, giving it everything we had. But some battles take place deep inside, and even the strongest love from another person cannot help you win them,” Svitolina wrote.
She said she eventually realized she needed to find her way back to herself, and that remaining married made this impossible. According to Svitolina, Monfils listened to her and responded to her needs with strength and generosity.
Svitolina said she had loved Monfils with all her heart and that they had built a beautiful life together, including their daughter, Skai.
“Skai will always come first. Our marriage is coming to an end, but our family is not. We will always be her parents and will walk alongside her at every stage of her life,” she said.
Svitolina emphasized that neither partner was to blame, describing the separation as a change in the form of a relationship between two people who had deeply loved each other. She asked the public to treat the family with kindness and give them space to heal.
The couple began dating in early 2019 and married in the summer of 2021. They had briefly split up before their wedding. In October 2022, Svitolina gave birth to their daughter, taking a break from professional tennis.
