By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, October 19, 2026
Photo credit: GEMS Life Instagram
Emotional anxiety over the ongoing war in Ukraine played a part in ending the marriage of Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils.
The 32-year-old Svitolina announced the end of her five-year marriage to Monfils in an Instagram post today. The break-up ends the love story of one tennis’ most popular and beloved couples.
“Gaël has loved me through my greatest joys and my darkest moments, and I have loved him with all my heart,” Svitolina posted on Instagram. “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.”
The announcement comes after the ITIA confirmed the 40-year-old Monfils officially retired from pro tennis on October 5th. Monfils had been scheduled to play both Lyon and the Rolex Paris Masters, but instead officially retired earlier this month while coping with the dissolution of his marriage.
Svitolina and Monfils were together as a couple for about seven years. The pair got engaged on April 3rd, 2021 and wed in a lavender-colored wedding ceremony on July 16th, 2021. Svitolina gave birth to the couple’s daughter, Skai, on October 15th, 2022.
In her Instagram post, Svitolina cited the severe emotional and mental stress she’s endured in recent years as her native Ukraine remains under attack from Russia, which attacked its neighboring nation in February of 2022. Svitolina, who has returned to Ukraine and conducted fundraisers to aid the people of her homeland, pulled the plug on her 2025 season in October to take a mental health break.
Svitolina suggests the couple’s relationship was a casualty of the devastating war.
“Everyone knows how much Ukraine means to me. What I have rarely spoken about is what the war has done to me inside,” Svitolina said. “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.”
Former world No. 3 Svitolina said Monfils has been a supportive and loving partner, but their love story has come to an end.
“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,” Svitolina said. “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.”
Svitolina commemorated Monfils’ Roland Garros farewell with a poignant tribute in The Players’ Tribune in which she shared memories of her partner in a letter written to their daughter.
“The first thing you should know, I think, it’s that Gaël Monfils was one of the greatest shot-makers anyone has ever seen. There are others who were more consistent, or who made fewer mistakes,” Svitolina wrote. “But it’s interesting. Because when you say why these players are great, maybe you are needing to give a long explanation. Or you are needing to show many statistics, or a whole match, or a whole tournament. But with your dad? It’s not like this. With your dad, it’s so simple. You can show someone a single point of his, even a single shot … and now they will “get it.”
“Because your dad, in just one shot, one moment, he could achieve what I think few athletes ever achieve. He could make people feel something. Almost like at a concert and there’s a perfect song, or at the movies and there’s a perfect line, and you have this feeling like, Oh my god. WOW. It takes your breath away. I wouldn’t say that sports are usually like this.…. they are competition, you know? But if you watch Gaël play, there are moments where you connect to something deeper than sports. Where you feel like, OK, tennis…… this is not just one player trying to grind another player to dust. When it’s in the very best moments??? It’s also magic.
“And your dad was the best magician.”
Ultimately, Svitolina said the couple’s love story is now “changing shape.”
“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,” Svitolina posted. “We ask for your kindness and for the space we need to heal. Thank you for your love.”
I am sorry to hear this. I believe they are both kind & loving people who both love & care about each other & their child. And who knows, perhaps things will work out & they will someday get back together as a married couple.
So you leave a wonderful man you supposedly love, the father of your child, who has supported you for years, because of the Ukrainian war? Absolutely pathetic. Get therapy. I wish him nothing but the best. He deserves it.
This story is heartbreaking, but totally understandable. Her take on Gael’s game is so beautiful and so correct. They will both be missed from the court.
I am so sorry to hear of your breakup. To me your union symbolized what love is about, but one never knows what individuals are dealing with. I hope the best for both of you but I do hope that you find your way back. Stay well, both of you!