"People are so nasty": Martina Navratilova hits out at treatment of Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils after divorce confirmed

Martina Navratilova has hit out at the treatment of Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina amid the recent announcement that they would be divorcing.

Svitolina in particular has undergone a lot of criticism for perceiving to end the career of Monfils. Initial reasons were to do with the war in Ukraine taking a toll and needing to rediscover herself again.

"With time, I came to understand that I need to find my way back to myself and that I cannot do that within our marriage." she said. She later clarified that it was down to multiple reasons as opposed to being related to the war in Ukraine despite that being a reason behind her current struggles personally.

Navratilova took to social media and hit out at those being 'nasty' towards the couple and that no-one will be hurting more than the duo right now that it has come to an end. While Monfils will retire, Svitolina continues to have a career renaissance and will play in the WTA Finals in short order. "People are so nasty. Nobody is hurting more than Elina and Gael right now and people dare criticize them??? Only wish them good luck and good health," said Navratilova on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Gael Monfils has spoken about the split for the first time since it happened and said that the backlash that Svitolina has faced is 'unkind at best, and venemous at worst'.

Svitolina reportedly decided to end their marriage over the phone and was the reason why Monfils suddenly decided to retire from the sport without playing anymore going forward. This was despite him having homecomings planned in both Lyon and Paris. But he decided to take himself off the ITIA Anti-Doping scheme and it would take another six months for him to go back onto it.

Monfils will play further including at a farewell for fellow retiring star Stan Wawrinka, but hit out at the treatment of his wife. “As anyone who has experienced the end of a relationship knows, it is not an easy thing to talk about,” Monfils wrote earlier this weekend.

“A separation is a minefield of messy, complicated feelings that Elina and I are both trying our best to navigate, and we are doing so with the great respect and love that we still, and will always, hold for each other.

“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.”