Elina Svitolina Reportedly Telling Gael Monfils About Divorce Over Phone Sparks Wild Reactions – “Heartless and Cold”
Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils will co-parent their four-year-old daughter, Skai.
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Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils (Image via Reuters)
Elina Svitolina sent shockwaves through the tennis world on Monday (October 19) when she announced she would end her marriage to Gael Monfils. She first said the psychological and emotional impact of the Russia-Ukraine war led to the split, then clarified in another social media post that there were other reasons as well.
Monfils has retired. He announced last year that he would end his career this season and planned to hang up his racket at his home tournament, the Paris Masters, set to start on November 2.
But to everyone’s surprise, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) added the Frenchman to its retired list on October 5, meaning he can no longer participate in tournaments. He retired earlier than planned due to the divorce, which Svitolina confirmed on social media: “Gaël’s career ended abruptly after he made the decision to stop based on our situation.“
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.
Elina Svitolina wrote on Instagram
Monfils has not yet spoken about the divorce or about his retirement.
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.
Elina Svitolina added
As per L’Equipe, Svitolina told Monfils about her intention to divorce over the phone when he was in Dubai with their daughter Skai, while she was traveling to China to compete in events. And when he learned it, it “hit him like a ton of bricks” and tennis “suddenly lost all meaning“.
Gaël 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.
Elina Svitolina added
Monfils was scheduled to play in Lyon this week as a wild card, but he withdrew due to “personal reasons”.
Tennis fans react to Elina Svitolina’s decision to end her marriage to Gael Monfils
Tennis fans are not ready to accept any of Elina Svitolina‘s explanations. They are simply struggling to understand how the war led to the separation.
Some fans said Svitolina should not be judged, that such things happen in marriages, but criticized her for not waiting until after the Paris Masters. Others are convinced that falling out of love is the main reason, speculating that she cheated on Monfils and got caught, which is why she chose not to wait for him to retire. Also, as expected, the whole thing sparked a gender war.
Check out fans’ reactions here:
@svitgoatlina It’s not vanity. I actually think you are retarded. It’s called humanity. Svitolina is selfish to the extreme. She called it off over the phone. Heartless and cold. She will reap what she sows.
— Flipper Milano (@FlipperMilano) October 22, 2026
Donc tu es marié depuis des années à quelqu’un , tu as un enfant avec, il t’a tout donné et tu le quittes par téléphone pendant qu’il est à un tournoi international , il y a vraiment des femmes cruelles sur cette terre #Svitolina #Monfils https://t.co/Rbnxc5cWyH
— LaToxiquerie (@LaToxiquerie) October 21, 2026
@Archaicmind3000 How classy of her. But she loves him so much, we are told.🤮
— Rosie Trenta | 💙#WeStandWithNovak 🇷🇸 2️⃣4⃣🥇 (@ildico1) October 21, 2026
@Archaicmind3000 she never loved him, she loved what he did for her.
— Hiro (@kair0e) October 21, 2026
@Archaicmind3000 That’s a disrespect that few men can come back from, I think it’s obvious she has someone else in the picture, and by the next grand slam tournament (if not before) you’ll see the photos of said replacement, but trust me karma will not be kind to her at all.
— Gaiven (@Gaiven33) October 21, 2026
@Archaicmind3000 Will never root for her again (not that she was ever a fave) but he made her look softer to me for a while there.
— Lauren Schaffer (@LaurenSchaffer8) October 21, 2026
@Archaicmind3000 Whatever she is feeling (and she has a right to those feelings) she could have been compassionate to her (still) husband and WAITED until after this year’s tennis season. Which actually ends soon- mid Nov/beginning of Dec. Let him have this moment, his retirement year/fans.
— Tennis Pashmo (@Pashmotennis) October 21, 2026
@Archaicmind3000 Game, set and match. Sad. It’s life. Cruel sometimes. Deserves more class maybe.
— GFERY 📢 (@gfery) October 21, 2026
After the announcement, Svitolina withdrew from the Pan Pacific Open. She last played in the quarterfinal of the Wuhan Open. Monfils’ final match was against Learner Tien in the second round of the US Open.
Svitolina and Monfils started dating in 2018 and went public the following year. They announced their engagement in April 2021, and tied the knot in July the same year. In October 2022, they welcomed their daughter Skai.
Gouri Das
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