"There's no such things as a general happy life": Elina Svitolina opens up on daily lack of happiness ahead of WTA Finals
WTA
Elina Svitolina was well beaten 6-4, 6-0 in her opening match of the 2026 WTA Finals against Mirra Andreeva but has been in the headlines a lot recently away from being on the court and admits that she doesn't particularly have a lot of happiness in her day-to-day life.
Last month, Svitolina announced she had decided to separate from her husband, Gael Monfils, citing the war in Ukraine as being a factor behind the move to split up with him. She later clarified in a second message that it was a lot of factors, but also it was later confirmed that Monfils had retired from the sport without a farewell due to the emotional toll that the break-up had taken on him.
Into the fire for Svitolina
This in turn levied a lot of abuse and criticism at the door of Svitolina, whom Monfils himself tried to deflect from and tried to shift the blame away from his ex-wife. But despite speaking out to defend her, calling the abuse 'unkind at best, venemous at worst', it still wasn't the best preparation for Indian Wells.
Svitolina and Monfils got married in the summer of 2021, having dated since 2018. They welcomed Skai in 2022. Svitolina hadn't played since the news and faced Mirra Andreeva, suffering a pretty simple loss.
But she was asked pre-tournament about whether it is a welcome distraction from the tough year that she has had personally, and she said that living in the public gaze is always quite pressurising when people judge and comment on everything. She continued that she doesn't particularly see herself either as having a happy life due to everything going on, whether that is this split or the war in Ukraine.
She also received criticism when she got to Indian Wells, as the typical group photo was in fact nixed due to Svitolina not wanting to pose with Sabalenka and Andreeva as a Ukrainian, likely a move followed by Kostyuk had she been in the field originally outside of being a late injury replacement. Instead, single portraits and group shots of Svitolina with other players were used, which took away in the view some of the essence of what makes the WTA Finals.
“Yeah, as you mention, I’ve had a tough year with different things in my head,” said Svitolina.
“Very busy year that we have. Living in the public eye is not an easy task. Everything is just up there for people to judge or to comment on. Also, I would say it’s a difficult thing to have.
“But we are people who are playing professionally, and it’s part of life, part of our life. I try just to focus on the things that I can control and, day by day, try to find my happy moments.
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“For me, there’s no such thing as, probably, a general happy life because of the things that I have on a daily basis.
“But the happy moments that I can create with the people around me — it’s things that I can control and live with.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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