Tennis stars Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils are divorcing after five years of marriage.
Svitolina shared on Instagram that the emotional toll of the ongoing war in her native Ukraine and her own internal struggles led her to realize she needed to rediscover herself outside the marriage. She also expressed deep gratitude and respect for Monfils, emphasizing that neither party was to blame.
Marriage and Family
The tennis stars married in Switzerland in July 2021 and share a daughter, Skai, born in October 2022. Svitolina emphasized that although their marriage has ended, they remain committed to co-parenting their daughter.
Svitolina reiterated that commitment in her social media post, stressing their shared responsibility to raise Skai together.
“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.”
Fans Chime In on Svitolina’s Reasoning For Divorce
“Bringing war into your marriage was not the right choice to do. Hold yourself accountable for your actions. You must learn to separate sport, family, and war. If you mix them, failure will come little by little. Stop fighting for something you can’t control yourself,” a fan said.
“This feels like such an easy cop out, there has to be more to this story than either Elina and Gael are wanting to tell us,” another fan said.
“I am trying to understand what the war has to do with this,” a fan replied
“This has to be one of the most abstract reasons to send a healthy marriage. I wish Gael the best. He deserved better,” another fan mentioned.
“Um, what’s the real reason. It’s not our business but there has to be something else at play here,” a fan commented.
“What I notice more is that this comes AFTER Gael has retired. That’s the real war in this,” another fan quipped.
“Obviously it wasnt deep enough. Isn’t marriage vows thru better or worse? It’s a never ending vow,” a fan spewed.
Recent Career Milestones
Earlier this year, Svitolina won the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand matching Monfils’ previous men’s singles title at the tournament.
The couple also teamed up in mixed doubles at the US Open in August, reaching the semifinals.
Monfils, who turned 40 in September, had initially planned to retire at the end of the season. However, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) lists him as officially retired as of Oct. 5.