Tennis essentials, 19 October: Svitolina and Monfils divorce, Fils back in the top 10, Djokovic out of it

The tour resumes in Ningbo, Lyon and Almaty, but Monday’s news was intimate: Elina Svitolina announced on Instagram the end of her marriage to Gaël Monfils. Monday’s rankings did the filing.

Svitolina and Monfils: “our marriage is ending, but our family is not”

Married since 2021, parents to four-year-old Skai, they are separating. “This is the most difficult thing I have ever had to share,” wrote the world No 6, who says she needs “to find my way back to myself”. The BBC links the split to the emotional toll of the war in Ukraine; she grew up in Odesa. As for Monfils’s retirement, effective on 5 October, L’Équipe now reads it plainly: when he learned the news, “he was no longer in a state to play”. My morning piece has the announcement.

Monday’s rankings: Fils up, Géa up, Djokovic down

After Shanghai, Arthur Fils is back in the top 10 two weeks after leaving it; Arthur Géa, a quarter-finalist in China, climbs to 44th; Daniil Medvedev returns to the top 50. Vacherot and Rinderknech, last year’s champion and runner-up in Shanghai, slide. On the WTA side, Maja Chwalinska gains eleven places after her Wuhan title and sits 11th, at the door of an unchanged top 10; Fiona Ferro is back in the top 100 for the first time in five years. The full lists are with L’Équipe.

Davis Cup: Marc López to succeed David Ferrer with Spain

The Spanish federation announced on Monday that Marc López will captain Spain’s Davis Cup team from 2027, on a two-year deal according to the Spanish press. Olympic doubles champion at Rio 2016 alongside Rafael Nadal, whom he later coached, the former world No 3 in doubles takes over from David Ferrer, who leaves at the end of the season. The task: bring the Saladier d’Argent back to Spain, absent since 2019, with Alcaraz, Jodar, Davidovich Fokina and Merida. L’Équipe has the announcement.

Rybakina resumes in Ningbo

Beaten in her Beijing opener, then withdrawn from Wuhan, Elena Rybakina is back at the WTA 500 in Ningbo, world No 1 since her US Open title. “The most important thing for me is to finish the season as world No 1. I have to try to give everything over the two weeks left,” she said in press conference, managing fatigue late in a long season. We Love Tennis has the press conference.

Lyon applauds Balshaw, Ningbo waits for Parry

In Lyon, Felix Balshaw, 20 and ranked 186th, beat Portugal’s Jaime Faria (56th) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3: his first win on the main tour. In Ningbo, Diane Parry went down 6-3, 6-1 to Alexandra Eala, a fifth straight defeat, for a single match won since her title in Monterrey in late August. L’Équipe has both stories.

Djokovic out of the top 10, Turin in sight

Novak Djokovic lost on Monday the 390 points of last year’s Shanghai semi-final run and drops four places, to 12th. With Jannik Sinner’s season over, ninth place in the Race is worth a ticket to the Turin Masters, from 15 to 22 November. Outside the top eight, the Serb has taken an invitation to Basel, from 26 October to 1 November, to gather points. “When he says he wants something, he gets it most of the time,” warns Greg Rusedski. We Love Tennis has the numbers.