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World No.6 Elina Svitolina said she and the recently retired Gael Monfils were ending their marriage, with the Ukrainian adding that the emotional toll of Russia\u2019s war in her homeland left her needing to rediscover herself.<\/p>\n
The couple married in July 2021 and welcomed a daughter, Skai, in October 2022.<\/p>\n
![\"Elina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792479978_818_97731541ce47a53a4326455077154d84979234a5.jpeg\")
Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils teamed up for mixed doubles in this year\u2019s US Open.AP Photo\/Frank Franklin II<\/p>\n
Announcing the separation in an Instagram post, Svitolina described the personal struggles she has faced since Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the impact they had on her life away from the tennis court.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the most difficult thing I have ever had to share,\u201d Svitolina wrote. \u201cEveryone knows how much Ukraine means to me. What I have rarely spoken about is what the war has done to me inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, I told you I needed to step away from the court because I wasn\u2019t in the right emotional space. Today, I want to open up a little more. What you didn\u2019t see were the sleepless nights, the doubts, and the feeling of slowly losing myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cGael 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Elina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792479979_374_245055c20f76c2f116f5f3435a47abbcc5cc29f4.jpeg\")
Elina Svitolina during the 2026 US Open.Getty Images<\/p>\n
Svitolina asked for kindness and privacy as the family navigates the separation, stressing there was no one to blame.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith time, I came to understand that I need to find my way back to myself and that I cannot do that within our marriage,\u201d the 32-year-old Australian Open semi-finalist added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the hardest truth I have ever had to face and the hardest thing I have ever had to tell the person I love.<\/p>\n
\u201cGael 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 … 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018I need to find my way back to myself and that I cannot do that within our marriage.\u2019<\/p>\n
Elena Svitolina<\/p>\n
On the court, four-time grand slam semi-finalist Svitolina recently secured her place at the season-ending WTA Finals in Indian Wells, California.<\/p>\n
Frenchman Monfils, 40, a former world No.6 and one of the most charismatic players of his generation, has retired from professional tennis, according to the International Tennis Integrity Agency.<\/p>\n
He planned to retire at the end of 2026 and bid farewell at November\u2019s Paris Masters, but the ITIA now lists him as retired.<\/p>\n
Reuters<\/p>\n
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