Gael Monfils has confirmed he retired from tennis after his separation from Elina Svitolina as he was “deeply” hurt and “just didn’t feel it was possible to play”

Svitolina announced last week that she had decided to end her marriage with Monfils, with the Ukrainian citing the impact of the war in her home country as a factor.

On Friday, Monfils spoke for the first time since Svitolina’s statement and described the reaction that his ex-partner had received as “unkind at best, and venomous at worst.”

Monfils and Svitolina got married in the summer of 2021, having began dating in late 2018 before making their relationship public in 2019. In October 2022, they welcomed the birth of their daughter, Skai.

The news of the separation came just days after it emerged that Monfils had retired from tennis earlier than he had planned.

Last week, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) added Monfils to its ‘retired’ list and confirmed the 40-year-old had removed himself from the sport’s anti-doping protocols — meaning he is no longer eligible to enter competitive tournaments.

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The Frenchman had initially intended to end his career at the Paris Masters next month, while he had also planned to play at the Lyon Open last week.

Monfils’ last match was a second round defeat to Learner Tien at the US Open in September.

In a livestream on his Twitch account on Monday, Monfils opened up about his split with Svitolina and the unexpected end to his career.

“The breakup with Elina hurt me deeply. We’re human, we have our own problems, and we don’t necessarily control what we want,” said the former world No 6 (translated from French).

“This breakup didn’t leave me unaffected. For people who have been in my situation, going through a breakup isn’t easy, and when it happens, I can’t train the way I want, I’m not at my best psychologically.

“I’m not going to pretend, I’m eating less, I’m not doing everything as well. I talk with my family and loved ones, and it made me ask myself: ‘Will I be strong enough, in training, in my preparation?’

“It’s already very difficult to step onto the field at the end of your career, with emotions you’re unfamiliar with, and when you’re also affected and have to think about the future, I just didn’t feel it was possible to play.”

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