Rennae Stubbs has a message for those criticizing Elina Svitolina over her separation from Gael Monfils: they have no idea what goes on inside someone else’s marriage. And her comments on her podcast came after she had already defended the two fervently on social media, responding to a troll.

Serena Williams’ former coach discussed the couple’s split on the October 19 episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, titled The Lilith Fair of Tennis. Stubbs said she was saddened by the news, especially after seeing Svitolina and Monfils together at the 2026 US Open, where they came close to winning the mixed-doubles tournament. But she also made it clear that she would not judge either player over a decision that was clearly difficult for them.

“The one thing I’ll never do is cast a stone on any relationship, especially a public one,” Stubbs said.

While the likes of Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Linda Noskova liked Svitolina’s recent post announcing her separation from Monfils, with Marta Kostyuk and Naomi Osaka leaving heart emojis, the reception wasn’t warm everywhere. A lot of the backlash was directed at Svitolina, specifically at the wording of her post. Some found it strange that she tied the end of a marriage to the war in Ukraine, and others objected to how abruptly the news was delivered, with Monfils’s retirement also surfacing on the ITIA list only days earlier.

L’Équipe’s Franck Ramella then reported that the news hit Monfils hard and that he could no longer play. The Frenchman had been expected to finish the 2026 season with appearances at the Lyon Open and the Paris Masters, where he could have said goodbye to his home fans. The outlet added that Svitolina informed Monfils of her intention to end their marriage over the phone in late September, when he was at home in Dubai with their daughter, Skai, while she was travelling in China for tournaments. The backlash just multiplied then.

Svitolina had to address things in a second post on October 20. She said the war was only one of the reasons behind her decision, that Monfils had faced accusations he did not deserve, and that this was why the couple released a joint statement. But she also confirmed that “Gael’s career ended abruptly after he made the decision to stop based on our situation”. And that again triggered criticism.

Still, Stubbs reminded listeners: “You don’t know what’s happening in a relationship. You don’t know what’s happening in marriages. You don’t know what the public persona they’re putting out there and how they’re struggling in their own lives. We have no idea.

“They obviously both love each other. They obviously came to this conclusion, which was not easy, especially sharing a child,” she added.

Stubbs also understood why Svitolina felt the need to explain the separation publicly. With both players likely to face questions about the other, she believed the announcement could spare them repeated, uncomfortable conversations.

“But obviously, this was important for Elina to put this out publicly, because I’m sure every time she’s asked a question about, like, what is Gael, you know, or saying for Gael, it would be very, very hard for them,” Stubbs said.

She ended her response by saying, “I’m just sad, I’m sad about this a lot.”

And most likely, the comments she saw all over social media just added to that by a lot. Stubbs even ended up in a heated exchange with a fan who criticized Svitolina for ending the marriage, saying that she should now take time away from tennis for Monfils’ sake and her daughter’s.

With a blunt remark, Stubbs fired back at the fan, writing, “Imagine telling a grown woman what to do with her life! Omg!”

The fan further irked Stubbs when they called Svitolina selfish and self-centered, prompting the coach to add a lengthy message:

In a third reply, she added: “I can’t stand social media idiocy and ignorance”.

Neither player has publicly laid out every detail behind the separation, and Svitolina has asked people to respect that boundary.

Monfils may not get the farewell season he had planned, and Svitolina is now dealing with intense scrutiny as she prepares for the WTA Finals. But Stubbs’ responses offer a reminder that neither player owes the public every detail of their private life. Her message was not to choose a winner or a villain in their separation but to leave room for compassion when the full story belongs to the people living it.