Svitolina says emotional toll of Ukraine war led to Monfils separation

Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina and her husband Gael Monfils are separating due to the emotional toll of the war in Ukraine.

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Ukrainian tennis star Elina Svitolina has announced the end of her marriage with French former tennis player Gaël Monfils, citing the emotional impact of the war in her country. Svitolina, who is ranked number six in the world, wrote in a heartfelt post on Instagram about the effect the conflict and "what the war has done to me inside".

Svitolina said she felt she could not do that within her marriage. She said her husband Monfils, 40, "listened" and "respected what I need with a strength and grace I will never forget". "Some battles happen deep inside you, and no amount of love from someone else can win them for you," the four-time Grand Slam semi-finalist wrote.

Svitolina said her daughter "will always come first", adding "our marriage is ending, but our family is not". Monfils, a former world number six, was expected to play the final tournament of his career at next month's Paris Masters in an emotional farewell.

Svitolina recently secured her place at the season-ending WTA Finals in Indian Wells, California. The couple married in July 2021 and welcomed a daughter, Skai, in October 2022. Svitolina described the personal struggles she had faced since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the impact they had on her life away from the tennis court.

Svitolina asked for kindness and privacy as the family navigates the separation, stressing there was no-one to blame. "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," the 32-year-old Australian Open semi-finalist said.