NEED TO KNOW

• Elina Svitolina confirmed the end of her marriage to Gaël Monfils in a joint Instagram post on Monday, Oct. 19

• The Ukrainian tennis player shared the "difficult" news with a lengthy caption and a photo alongside the former French player

• The couple wed in July 2021 and welcomed their first baby, daughter Skai, the following year

Elina Svitolina shared that she and husband Gaël Monfils have split.

The Ukrainian tennis player, 32, opened up in an emotional Instagram post on Monday, Oct. 18, while confirming the end of her marriage with the former French tennis player, 40, after tying the knot in July 2021.

"This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to share," Svitolina began her lengthy caption alongside a black-and-white photo of herself hugging Monfils, who collaborated with her on the Instagram post. "Everyone knows how much Ukraine means to me."

"What I have rarely spoken about is what the war has done to me inside," she wrote. "Last year, I told you I needed to step away from the court because I wasn't in the right emotional space. Today, I want to open up a little more. What you didn't see were the sleepless nights, the doubts, and the feeling of slowly losing myself."

Svitolina noted that Monfils "saw all of it," but he never let go of her hand. "We fought through this together for a long time, with everything we had," she said, continuing, "But some battles happen deep inside you, and no amount of love from someone else can win them for you."

The Ukrainian tennis pro opened up about the need to rediscover herself, a process that she said she can't do in her marriage. While it was very difficult to come to terms with, she noted how her partner "respected" her through it all.

"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," she said. "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."

"Gaël has loved me through my greatest joys and my darkest moments, and I have loved him with all my heart," continued Svitolina. "Together, we built a beautiful life, and we were given the most precious gift of all, our daughter, Skai."

Svitolina and Gaël welcomed their daughter, Skai, on Oct. 15, 2022. The Olympic bronze medalist, who announced the "unforgettable moment" of their baby girl's birth on social media at the time, made clear that parenting her will always be a priority.

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"Skai will always come first," she continued in her Instagram caption. "Our marriage is ending, but our family is not. We will always be her parents, side by side, at every step of her life. 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."

She concluded, "We ask for your kindness and for the space we need to heal. Thank you for your love 🤍."

Svitolina and Monfils, who would go on to take the tennis courts by storm, officially met in 2018 in Paris. They were briefly engaged before marrying in July 2021.

In 2026, they became one of the few married couples to hold singles titles in the same tournament in consecutive years after Svitolina captured the 2026 ASB Classic women's singles title in Auckland, New Zealand — matching Monfils' 2025 Auckland men's singles crown.

"Before the tournament, he told me it would be amazing if we both won the same tournament," she told the WTA in January 2026. "He was not sure if this ever happened before. Of course, I had it always in the back of my mind. It really motivated me but also [created] a little bit of pressure."

The duo supported each other at the 2026 US Open, where they reached the semifinals of the mixed doubles tournament. This marks Monfils' last US Open — having previously announced that he'll be retiring at the end of the year — and on Sept. 1, he won his first-round match on his 40th birthday.

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