Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina sent heartfelt message by Boris Becker after their separation
Tennis icon Boris Becker has sent a classy message to Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina after the two stars announced their marriage will be ending.
Svitolina revealed on Monday that she had decided to separate from Monfils, with the 32-year-old Ukrainian highlighting the impact of the war in her home country as a factor.
The world No 6 then released another statement on Tuesday to “clarify” her initial post after she faced harsh criticism from some social media users.
On Friday, Monfils spoke for the first time since Svitolina’s announcement and described the reaction that his ex-partner has received as “unkind at best, and venomous at worst.”
Svitolina and Monfils got married in the summer of 2021, having started 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 former world No 6 — who had intended to end his career at the Paris Masters next month — has not addressed his unexpected exit from the sport.
Monfils had also received a wildcard to compete at this week’s ATP 250 event in Lyon, but organisers confirmed last week that the Frenchman had been removed from the entry list for “personal reasons.”
The 13-time ATP Tour title winner is, though, set to play at Stan Wawrinka’s farewell exhibition event in December.
Responding to a Twitter/X post that shared Monfils’ statement about his split from Svitolina, Becker offered some warm words to the pair.
Becker, a six-time Grand Slam champion and former world No 1, wrote: “We love you both, Elina & Gael!
“It’s very difficult and challenging at times, to live your life in the public eye…
“Take good care of each other as a family and most importantly your daughter Skai! God bless.”
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