Gael Monfils has described criticism of his estranged wife, Elina Svitolina, as “venomous” and “upsetting” after the couple announced their separation earlier this week.
Svitolina revealed the end of one of tennis’s most high-profile relationships in an emotional Instagram post, in which she linked the split in part to the mental toll of Russia’s ongoing war in her native Ukraine. The reaction online was hostile, and it intensified after she confirmed that the end of the marriage had led Monfils to retire earlier than planned.
The 40-year-old Frenchman had been scheduled to bow out at the Paris Masters next month, but his second-round loss to Learner Tien at the US Open turned out to be his final match as a professional.
Monfils came to his wife’s defense in an Instagram post on Friday.
“Even though she did not owe anyone an explanation, Elina chose to speak vulnerably and truthfully about her reasons for this decision,” he wrote.
“She did so in the best way she knew how. Many decided that her explanation wasn’t perfect enough and Elina has now faced a kind of criticism that I have found unkind at best and venomous at worst.”
He added: “Elina and I may no longer be a couple, but we are still a family. Though my heart hurts, I am forever grateful to her for her support and love over the years.”
“While I am deeply grateful that the public feels so invested in my happiness, I have found the lack of grace and kindness shown towards Elina upsetting,” Monfils continued. “While some may not understand her reasons, or agree with them, please remember that there is so much more that happens in a relationship behind the curtain that cannot be explained in a post.”
He concluded: “Elina has her battles to fight, just as I have mine. I respect her choices and reasons, and we will continue to support and care deeply about each other, especially as two people who share a child.”
A Marriage Ends
Svitolina, a four-time Grand Slam semi-finalist, and Monfils, a former world No 6, married in 2021. They have a four-year-old daughter, Skai.
In her announcement, Svitolina wrote that she had come to realize she needed to rediscover herself and could no longer do so within her marriage.
“This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to share,” she wrote. “Everyone knows how much Ukraine means to me. What I have rarely spoken about is what the war has done to me inside.”
She continued: “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. Gael listened. He has respected what I need with a strength and grace I will never forget.”
Svitolina also said: “Skai will always come first. Our marriage is ending, but our family is not. Please know that there is no one to blame here. There are only two people who loved each other deeply and a story that is changing shape.”
Recent Results
Only a few months ago, Svitolina and Monfils teamed up to reach the semi-finals of the US Open mixed doubles championship, where they lost to Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.
More recently, Svitolina played at the Wuhan Open, where she lost a quarter-final to an inspired Sonay Kartal. The British player won their match in three sets.