Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils have been under the microscope since announcing their separation after five years of marriage. Andy Roddick has stood up for the former couple, speaking out against the intense scrutiny they have endured from fans.
Svitolina caught flak from fans when she shared her decision to end her marriage to Monfils, opening up about the toll of the Russia-Ukraine war and admitting that she felt she was “slowly losing” herself. Following the outrage, the World No. 6 issued another statement highlighting the difficulty of putting the nuances involved in the decision into words, which only exacerbated the criticism.
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Monfils denounced the “unkind and venomous” remarks directed toward the Ukrainian, particularly those surrounding the revelation that he had ended his farewell season early due to the situation.
While addressing Elina Svitolina’s qualification for the WTA Finals on his “Served” podcast, Andy Roddick made it clear that he had deliberately avoided addressing her separation from Gael Monfils. He called out the “ridiculous” scrutiny and public commentary surrounding the former couple, urging fans to let them deal with the split without sharing their unsolicited opinions.
“And we see Svitolina made the [WTA] Finals. We didn’t address their business with her and Gael and the divorce. The fact that they’re still having to address it based on other people’s feedback is ridiculous. Let them live. Let them make their decisions because they’re adults. Let them get through it. They don’t need input. Let them be. Let them figure their stuff out. We wish them both all the best,” Roddick said.
Gael Monfils opens up about “not doing great mentally” after Elina Svitolina split
During a recent Twitch stream, Gael Monfils shed light on the mental and physical toll caused by his split with Elina Svitolina.
“The breakup with Elina hit me really hard. I’m not doing great mentally, I can’t train the way I’d like to. I’m not going to pretend otherwise, I’m eating less, everything feels worse,” Monfils said.
The Frenchman, who was originally slated to retire in front of his home fans at the Paris Masters, also explained that he simply found it impossible to return to the court amid the emotional upheaval.
“It’s already very hard to return to the courts for my retirement, with different emotions. I just didn’t find it possible to play,” he added.
While Gael Monfils has ended his career, Elina Svitolina was last seen in action at the Wuhan Open. The Ukrainian reached the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event, where she lost to eventual runner-up Sonay Kartal.
Edited by Urvi Mehra
