Fellow tennis players and couple Elina Svitolina and Gaël Monfils are divorcing. Svitolina announced the news and offered insight into the decision that led to the separation

Tennis power couple Elina Svitolina and Gaël Monfils are divorcing.

Svitolina announced the news on Monday, Oct. 19 that her, 32, and Monfils, 40, will be divorcing in an Instagram post. The two tennis players married in 2021 and share a 4-year-old daughter, Skai. Svitolina opened up about the separation in the collaborative post with Monfils and offered insight into the dissolution of their marriage.

The Ukrainian tennis player talked about how the war on her home country has played a role. The current war began when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. The post included a black-and-white photo of the two as they embraced with Svitolina's eyes closed while Monfils' eyes are open, looking directly at the camera.

"This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to share," Svitolina said. "Everyone knows how much Ukraine means to me. What I have rarely spoken about is what the war has done to me inside. 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."

"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," the athlete 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. Gaël listened. He has respected what I need with a strength and grace I will never forget," Svitolina added.

She went on to say that her French husband loved her through her " greatest joys" as well as her "darkest moments" and that she has loved him with all her heart. Svitolina noted that they constructed a "beautiful life" together and the "most precious gift" of their relationship is their daughter, Skai. They welcomed Skai on Oct. 15, 2022.

Svitolina asserted that Skai "always comes first" and that although their marriage is ending, their family is not. Svitolina elaborated, "We will always be her parents, side by side, at every step of her life."

She insisted that "no one is to blame" for their split, adding "T here are only two people who loved each other deeply and a story that is changing shape."

"We ask for your kindness and for the space we need to heal. Thank you for your love," Svitolina wrote, concluding the post with a white heart emoji.

Svitolina and Monfils first met in Paris and married in July 2021. The pair were one of the few married couple to hold singles titles in the same tournament in consecutive years following Svitolina winning the 2026 ASB Classic women's single Auckland, New Zealand, when Monfils won the men's single in 2025.

Monfils has recently officially retired from the sport, which the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed on Oct. 14.