Can a marriage end with no one to blame?

Svitolina and Monfils married in July 2021, and their daughter was born in October 2022. On 5 October, Monfils ended his career abruptly. According to L'Équipe, the split was behind that decision; Monfils has not yet spoken about it himself. On Monday, Svitolina announced the split on Instagram.

Svitolina says the war in Ukraine hit her far harder than she had ever said publicly. She stepped away from tennis last year, describing sleepless nights and a fear of losing herself. Monfils, she says, never let go of her hand. At the centre of her post is this line: “Our marriage is ending, but our family is not.”

On fault, she was direct: “There is no one to blame. There are only two people who loved each other deeply, and a story that is changing shape.”