Tennis star Svitolina says emotional toll of Ukraine war led to Monfils separation

Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina has confirmed the end of her marriage with French former tennis player Gaël Monfils, citing the emotional impact of the war in her country.

Key points

• Nevertheless, the two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist's retirement was effectively confirmed last week when he appeared on the International Tennis Integrity Authority's list of retired players.
• The tennis power couple married in 2021 and have one child together – a four-year-old daughter called Skai.
• Monfils, who won 13 titles on the ATP Tour, is preparing to start a new career in finance after joining a Swiss wealth management firm.
• She remarked her husband Monfils, 40, "listened" and "respected what I need with a strength and grace I will never forget".
• "Everyone knows how much Ukraine means to me, " Svitolina, who grew up in Odesa, remarked.

Notably, the 32-year-old, who is ranked number six in the world, wrote in a heartfelt post on Instagram regarding the effect the conflict and "what the war has done to me inside".

"This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to share, " she wrote, saying "I need to find my way back to myself". Svitolina remarked she felt she could not do that within her marriage.

"Some battles happen deep inside you, and no amount of love from someone else can win them for you, " the four-time Grand Slam semi-finalist wrote.

It was "the hardest thing I have ever had to tell the person I love", Svitolina remarked.

Ukraine's Black Sea port city has been heavily bombed by Russia throughout the war. Russia introduced its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"What you didn't see were the sleepless nights, the doubts, and the feeling of slowly losing myself."

Meanwhile, the tennis power couple married in 2021 and have one child together – a four-year-old daughter called Skai.

Svitolina remarked her daughter "will always come first", adding "our marriage is ending, but our family is not".

Monfils, a former world number six, was projected to play the final tournament of his career at next month's Paris Masters in an emotional farewell.

Once a player removes themselves from anti-doping protocols, they are not eligible to compete in professional tournaments.

In short, tennis star Svitolina says emotional toll of Ukraine war led to Monfils is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.