Elina Svitolina Announces Divorce From Gael Monfils After Five Years of Marriage

Elina Svitolina and Monfils to divorce five years after marriage

World number six Elina Svitolina has announced she is divorcing fellow tennis star Gael Monfils after five years of marriage, saying she needs to “find my way back to myself” in an emotional social media post.

“I need to find my way back to myself” says Svitolina Divorcing Monfils...

Elina Svitolina announced on Monday that she is divorcing fellow tennis star Gael Monfils after five years of marriage.

Ukraine's Svitolina, currently ranked world No. 6, married French player Monfils in July 2021, and the pair share a four-year-old daughter.

“I need to find my way back to myself, and I cannot do that within our marriage,” the 32-year-old Svitolina said in a social media post.

“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,” she added.

Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils are ending their marriage 💔 Elina shared this message on IG: “This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to share. 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. Gaël 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. Gaël listened. He has respected what I need with a strength and grace I will never forget. Gael has loved me through my greatest joys and my darkest moments, and I have loved him with all my heart. Together, we built a beautiful life, and we were given the most precious gift of all, our daughter, Skai. 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. Please know that there is no one to blame here. There are only two people who loved each other deeply and a story that is changing shape. We ask for your kindness and for the space we need to heal. Thank you for your love 🤍”

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 19, 2026

Monfils, 40, retired from tennis earlier this month, despite being expected to make farewell appearances in Lyon and at the Paris Masters later this month.

He had been handed a wildcard for this week's ATP 250 tournament in Lyon, but organisers said he withdrew for personal reasons.