News of Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils’ split shocked the tennis world earlier this week, and Martina Navratilova has now weighed in.
On Monday, Svitolina announced she would be separating from Monfils in an Instagram post, with the Ukrainian citing the toll of the war in her home country as a factor.
After Svitolina‘s post was met with harsh criticism from some social media users, the 32-year-old shared a second statement to “clarify” her initial message.
On Friday, Monfils spoke about the separation for the first time and branded the backlash that his ex-partner has faced as “unkind at best, and venomous at worst.”
“As anyone who has experienced the end of a relationship knows, it is not an easy thing to talk about,” the 40-year-old Frenchman wrote.
“A separation is a minefield of messy, complicated feelings that Elina and I are both trying our best to navigate, and we are doing so with the great respect and love that we still, and will always, hold for each other.
“Even though she did not owe anyone an explanation, Elina chose to speak vulnerably and truthfully about her reasons for this decision. She did so in the best way she knew how.
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“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.”
In a post on Twitter/X, Navratilova slammed the critics as she responded to a post sharing Monfils‘ statement.
“People are so nasty,” the 18-time Grand Slam champion wrote.
“Nobody is hurting more than Elina and Gael right now and people dare criticise them???
“Only wish them good luck and good health.”
The news of the split came just days after it emerged that Monfils had retired from tennis earlier than his planned farewell at next month’s Paris Masters.
Last week, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) added Monfils to its ‘retired’ list and confirmed the former world No 6 had removed himself from the sport’s anti-doping protocols — meaning he is no longer eligible to enter competitive tournaments.
