Former world No 1 men’s doubles player Mark Knowles admits he is “super bummed out” by the news of Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils’ split.
Svitolina cited the emotional toll of the war in her native Ukraine as part of the reason for her separation from Monfils after more than five years of marriage.
The 32-year-old then sent a follow-up post “clarifying” her initial message, as the Ukrainian, who has been very outspoken about the conflict since Russia invaded her country in February 2022, was on the receiving end of a lot of abuse on social media.
That prompted the 40-year-old Frenchman, who reportedly retired from tennis early as the end of their relationship hit him like a ‘ton of bricks’, to hit out at the “venomous” backlash she had received.
Part of his message reads, “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. 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.”
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Monfils – who was scheduled to end his career at the Paris Masters, only to quietly retire this month – called for privacy and to respect both him and the world No 6’s humanity during this difficult time.
In response, three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka, who is also retiring this year, posted two praying emojis and two love hearts on Monfils’ Instagram post.
Former US Open champion Sloane Stephens posted a number of love hearts, as did former top 10 player Fernando Verdasco and Tommy Haas.
And this week, three-time men’s doubles major winner Knowles sent his condolences to the separating couple, while also singing the praises of Monfils both on and off the court. Jessica Pegula’s coach even hailed the French veteran as the “greatest showman” tennis has ever had.
Knowles said on the Inside-In podcast, “Obviously super bummed out that our guy and everybody’s favourite, Gael Monfils, won’t get his send-off in Bercy (Paris). Really unfortunate what’s happening there, without knowing the situation.
“I was fortunate enough to play on tour with Gael for a long time. I’ve been able to cover him doing broadcasting and seeing him every week. To me, he’s one of my favourite guys that I was ever around on tour, covering generation after generation, one of my all-time favourites.
“Really bummed for him, but always thinking about him and just thankful I got to be around him, watch him play – probably the greatest showman we’ve ever had in our sport.”
It isn’t quite the end for Monfils’ time in tennis, though. He will feature in a farewell exhibition for Wawrinka alongside ex-players Roger Federer and Andy Murray in December.
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