Gael Monfils Makes Heartbreaking Admission About His Breakup With Elina Svitolina: “Hurt Me Deeply”

Gael Monfils also hit back at those those criticizing Elina Svitolina in an Instagram post.

Gael Monfils Makes Heartbreaking Admission About His Breakup With Elina Svitolina: “Hurt Me Deeply”

Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils (Image via People.com)

Gael Monfils has already called time on his career. Right now, he isn’t at his best “psychologically” because the breakup with Elina Svitolina hurt him “deeply”.

Svitolina made the divorce announcement on October 19. Fans were convinced this was why Monfils registered his name on the retired list of the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on October 5. Svitolina confirmed in another post that the breakup was the reason for his retirement, and Monfils himself opened up about the split on a livestream on his Twitch account on Monday (October 26).

The breakup with Elina hurt me deeply. We’re human, we have our own problems, and we don’t necessarily control what we want. This breakup didn’t leave me unaffected. For people who have been in my situation, going through a breakup isn’t easy, and when it happens, I can’t train the way I want, I’m not at my best psychologically.

Gael Monfils said

Following his US Open exit, Monfils was scheduled to compete in two home events, in Lyon and Paris. In the final Masters 1000 of the season, set to start on November 2, Monfils wanted to hang up his racket.

I’m not going to pretend, I’m eating less, I’m not doing everything as well. I talk with my family and loved ones, and it made me ask myself: ‘Will I be strong enough, in training, in my preparation? It’s already very difficult to step onto the field at the end of your career, with emotions you’re unfamiliar with, and when you’re also affected and have to think about the future, I just didn’t feel it was possible to play.

Gael Monfils added

During a press conference in Lyon, Stan Wawrinka, against whom Monfils played seven matches, winning four of them, confirmed that the Frenchman will be present during his farewell ceremony in an exhibition event, One Last Backhand, in Geneva on December 19.

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The Paris Masters will play tribute to Gael Monfils

On Monday (October 26), the Paris Masters took to X and announced a farewell ceremony in honor of Gael Monfils. It will be held on the evening of Tuesday (November 2) at La Défense Arena in Nanterre.

Gael Monfils (2)
Gael Monfils (Image via ATP Tour)

One last time, Paris will celebrate Gael.On Tuesday, November 3, the Rolex Paris Masters will pay tribute to Gaël Monfils and his extraordinary career, on the very court where he penned some of the most beautiful chapters of his story. Join us for the evening session to celebrate La Monf’ in style.

Monfils reached three Masters 1000 finals, two of which he played in his home event in 2009 and 2010, losing them to Novak Djokovic and Robin Soderling, respectively. He last played here in 2023, losing in the first round.

The former World No.6 played his last professional match against Learner Tien in the second round of the US Open. He won his career’s last title at the 2025 ASB Classic.

Elina Svitolina, on the other hand, will be seen in action in the WTA Finals, which runs from November 8 to November 15 in Indian Wells. The Ukrainian ace is a one-time champion, winning in 2018 and finishing as the runner-up the following year.

She has so far won two titles this season. After her win in Auckland over Wang Xinyu, the 32-year-old lost to Jessica Pegula in Dubai. She beat Coco Gauff in the Italian Open final.

Svitolina, following her defeat to Sonay Kartal in the quarterfinal of the Wuhan Open, withdrew from the Ningbo Open as well as the Pan Pacific Open. The World No. 6 will play in the WTA Finals for the first time since 2016.

Also read: Is Elena Rybakina Taking a Risk by Deciding to Play the Pan Pacific Open Before the WTA Finals?