Elina Svitolina Clarifies Divorce Reasons Amidst War's Impact
Tennis star Elina Svitolina states that her decision to divorce Gael Monfils was influenced by personal growth and a changed perspective on life, compounded by the ongoing war in her native Ukraine.
Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina has offered further explanation regarding her decision to divorce French tennis player Gaël Monfils, emphasizing that the dissolution of their five-year marriage is rooted in a complex set of personal realizations rather than a single cause.
In a joint statement released Monday, Svitolina, 32, initially indicated that the war in Ukraine had led her to re-evaluate her life and realize she needed to find her way back to herself, a process she couldn't undertake within the marriage. This statement was followed by a more detailed clarification on Tuesday.
"I just want to clarify my previous post a little, because I realized that not everyone, especially my international audience, fully understood what I was trying to say," Svitolina, ranked world No. 6, wrote in a subsequent statement. "In that post, I shared only one of the reasons that influenced my decision and made me reflect on my life and my future. But the truth is, there’s so much more to it, and it was never just about one thing."
Svitolina, who has been living with the reality of war for over 4.5 years, explained that the prolonged experience has altered her perspective, values, and priorities. "You naturally start seeing life differently. Your perspective changes, your values and priorities shift, and you begin to understand what you truly want out of life."
She further stated, "At some point, I simply realized that I didn’t want to keep living a life where I wasn’t truly happy. And believe me, coming to this decision was anything but easy. I love and respect my husband very much. And I will always love and appreciate him for the person he is. That’s exactly why it was so important for me to be honest, both with him and with myself."
Svitolina acknowledged that personal and difficult decisions are not always fully explainable in a single post, with some aspects being too personal for public sharing. She also mentioned that Monfils' career ended abruptly following their situation, with the couple jointly releasing a statement as he faced accusations he did not deserve.
Svitolina and Monfils married in Switzerland in July 2021 and have a daughter, Skaï, born in October 2022. Monfils, who had previously announced plans to retire after the Paris Masters in November, was officially listed as retired by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) on October 5. He withdrew from a wild card spot at the ATP 250 event in Lyon on Monday for "personal reasons." His last professional match was on September 3, where he lost in the second round of the US Open. Svitolina and Monfils had competed together in the US Open mixed doubles semi-finals in August.
"I just hope this helps you understand a little better what I was trying to say but please be kind and understanding, this is incredibly tough for us both right now," Svitolina concluded.