Elina Svitolina, the Ukrainian tennis star, has announced the end of her marriage to French former player Gaël Monfils, citing the emotional impact of the war in her country.
The 32-year-old, who is ranked number six in the world, wrote in a heartfelt Instagram post about the effect of the conflict and “what the war has done to me inside”.
“This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to share,” she wrote, adding: “I need to find my way back to myself.” Svitolina said she felt she could not do that within her marriage.
“A strength and grace I will never forget”
Svitolina 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.
She called it “the hardest thing I have ever had to tell the person I love”.
Ukraine at the heart of her decision
“Everyone knows how much Ukraine means to me,” said Svitolina, who grew up in Odesa. Russia has heavily bombed the Black Sea port city throughout the war. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“What you didn’t see were the sleepless nights, the doubts, and the feeling of slowly losing myself,” she wrote.
Family comes first
The tennis power couple married in 2021 and have one child together, a four-year-old daughter named Skai.
Svitolina said her daughter “will always come first”. She added: “Our marriage is ending, but our family is not.”