Elina Svitolina Reveals Divorce Influenced Gaël Monfils' Early Tennis Retirement

Elina Svitolina has opened up about the reasons behind Gaël Monfils' unexpected early retirement from professional tennis, connecting it directly to their recent separation. The French player, aged 40, had originally planned to retire at the Paris Masters in November but was officially marked as retired by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on October 5, ending a career that spanned 22 years.

In an Instagram message, Svitolina expressed: "It’s not always possible to explain everything behind such personal and difficult decisions in a single post. Honestly, some things are just too personal to share publicly. That was and remains my view on announcing the end of our marriage. But as some of you noticed, Gaël’s career ended suddenly after he decided to stop based on our situation. Unfortunately, he faced many accusations which he did not deserve, so we released a joint statement."

Background on Their Separation

Svitolina's remarks came one day after she announced the conclusion of their five-year marriage on social media. While she initially mentioned the psychological and emotional effects of Russia's war in Ukraine as a factor, she clarified there were additional reasons for the split and gave the first public explanation for Monfils' early retirement.

Monfils, a former world No. 6 with 13 ATP Tour singles titles, had declared 2026 would be his farewell season with plans to play his final matches in Paris, in front of his home crowd. He was also slated to compete as a wild card at an ATP 250 tournament in Lyon this week but pulled out due to personal reasons. His last professional match was a straight-sets loss to Learner Tien in the second round of the U.S. Open on September 3.

Svitolina's Career and Personal Reflections

At 32, Svitolina is currently ranked No. 6 globally and enjoying one of her strongest seasons, following a break in late 2025 to overcome burnout. She shared further insight into her decision to end the marriage, stating that the war’s impact was just one part of a larger picture.

She wrote: "I want to clarify my earlier post because I realized not everyone, especially my international followers, fully understood my meaning. I mentioned only one reason influencing my reflection on life and future. The truth is, there’s much more involved—it was never just one thing."

"Living through over four and a half years of war, facing numerous situations, emotions, and hardships, naturally changes how you see life. Eventually, I understood I didn’t want to continue living a life where I wasn’t genuinely happy. Making this choice was anything but easy."

She added that although they separated, her love and respect for Monfils remain strong, but some details about their split are too private to disclose.

Their Family and Future

The couple married in July 2021 and share a daughter named Skai, born in October 2022. They even reached the US Open mixed doubles semifinals together in August. In her statement on Monday, Svitolina emphasized their commitment as co-parents: "Our marriage is ending, but our family is not. We will always be Skai’s parents, united side by side at every step of her life."